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At the invitation of His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki of the Republic of Kenya, the second Eastern Africa Heads of State and Government Summit on the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAP) was held in Nairobi, Kenya on 29th October 2003.
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The Summit was attended by the following dignitaries:
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His Excellency, Mwai Kibaki, President of the Republic of Kenya;
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His Excellency, Yoweri Kaguta Museveni, President of the Republic of Uganda;
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His Excellency, Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda;
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His Excellency, Dr. Ali Mohamed Shein, Vice President of the United Republic of Tanzania;
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His Excellency, Alphonse-Marie Kadege, Vice President of the Republic of Burundi;
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Honourable Dr. Badraddin M.A. Suleiman, Adviser to the President of the Republic of Sudan on Economic Affairs;
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Honourable Ali Said Abdella, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the State of Eritrea;
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Honourable Anil Kumarsingh Gayan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Cooperation of the Republic of Mauritius;
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His Excellency Mr Ali Abdi Farah, Minister for Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in charge of relations with Parliament, Republic of Djibouti;
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Her Excellency, Konjit S-Giorgis, Ambassador of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Head of Africa Department;
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The following organizations were also represented in the meeting COMESA, EAC, IGAD AND NEPAD Secretariat.
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The Summit welcomed the decision and initiative by His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki of the Republic of Kenya to invite the Heads of State and Governments from the Eastern Africa region, to exchange views on issues relating to identification and agreeing on priority NEPAD programs/projects, a coordination mechanism for the region and the enhancement of Private Sector participation in the implementation of NEPAD projects. The meeting further congratulated His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki for having received the auspicious Gandhi King Memorial Peace Award, following the democratic elections held in 2002 and peaceful transition that brought in a new government. The Heads of State and Governments also congratulated President Paul Kagame of the Republic of Rwanda for the recently concluded democratic and peaceful elections that marked the end of the political transitional process since the tragic events of 1994.
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The Heads of State and Government took note of forerunner Eastern Africa NEPAD meetings, in particular, Ministerial meeting of March 2002 in Kampala, Uganda, the Nairobi Summit of June 2002 and the Experts and Ministerial meetings that preceded the Summit in October 2003 in Nairobi, Kenya. They observed that these meetings provided the basis for continuity and domesticating the NEPAD programme.
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In their addresses, the Heads of State and Government expressed wholehearted support for the renewed Partnership between Africa and the International Community based on African ownership and leadership as the key guiding principles of NEPAD. They noted that since the last Summit, in June 2002, great strides have been made towards institutionalizing NEPAD at the national level and within the region. In order to concretize these efforts, they agreed to individually and collectively take measures that would ensure effective implementation of NEPAD activities in the region.
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The Heads of State and Government endorsed the following flag-ship programmes and projects to be fast-tracked:
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Programmes to enhance Peace and security
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The comprehensive African Agricultural Development Programme to enhance food security.
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The programme to increase access and enhance connectivity within the region covering the following:
The Five Eastern Road Corridors with emphasis with:
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Corridor 1: Mombasa – Malaba – Katuna – Kigali – Bujumbura
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Corridor 2: Dar es Salaam – Masaka
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Corridor 3: Biharamulo – Mwanza – Lodwar – Lokichogio
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Corridor 4: Nyakanazi – Tunduma
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Corridor 5: Tunduma – Arusha – Nairobi – Moyale
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The road corridors conncecting Sudan, Ethiopia, Eritrea and Djibouti
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Gedarif – Gallabal – Gondar – Addis Ababa
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Gedarif – Humera – Gondai – Barentu
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The East African Coast submarine fibre optic cable project with inland connection including link to land-locked countries.
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The oil pipeline extension projects from Malaba to Bujumbura
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Programmes to enhance Human Resource Development including education and health.
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Energy and ICT Programmes
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Having taken note of the projects presented by countries during the Ministerial meeting, the Heads of State and Government mandated the Eastern Africa Regional Economic Communities (RECs) in conjunction with Permanent Secretaries from the region and in consultation with the NEPAD Secretariat in South Africa to study and derive a priority list of the projects to be presented for review and possible adoption by the Eastern Africa countries during the first quarter of 2004. The list of projects presented by participating countries is appended to the Minister’s report. Countries that did not submit projects will have the opportunity to do so at a later stage. The selection criteria should be based on the following:
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Projects that enhance regional integration
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Projects that contribute to employment, income generation, and wealth creation
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Projects that reflect higher regional content and geographical balance.
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The Heads of State and Government reiterated the need to establish a regional NEPAD coordination mechanism that would work in conjunction with NEPAD Steering Committee and the Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC). In view of the multiple membership of countries in Regional Economic Communities, the Heads of State and Government endorsed the recommendation of the Ministers, that Kenya be the Regional Coordinator of NEPAD activities in Eastern Africa as an interim measure. This would entail:
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Convening regular meetings of the NEPAD representatives for purposes of harmonizing the NEPAD related strategies of the participating Eastern Africa countries;
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Facilitating regular and frequent sharing of information and experiences among the participating countries and RECs;
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Organising regional fora for bringing together key stakeholders around the various NEPAD themes;
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Coordination with the NEPAD secretariat in Pretoria, South Africa
In undertaking the above function, Kenya was mandated to assume the responsibility of addressing resource requirements to perform the function.
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The Summit recognized the importance of the private sector in the overall development agenda for Africa. In particular, the Heads of State and Government emphasized the significance of the sector in the implementation of NEPAD projects and programmes and thus expressed commitment to creating an enabling environment for private sector participation. They also recognized the importance of involving civil-society in the NEPAD development agenda.
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The Heads of State and Government recognized the importance of peace and security in the region and further acknowledged the strides that have been made in bringing peace to the region particularly in the Great Lakes Region and the Horn of Africa. In view of this the Summit expressed the need to consolidate the peace dividends by giving development a chance.
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The visiting Heads of State and Government expressed their gratitude to their Host, His Excellency President Mwai Kibaki, the Government and the People of Kenya for the generous hospitality accorded to them and their delegations.
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Done in Nairobi, Kenya this 29th day of October 2003.
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- 129Kb ~ 1 min (4 pages)