Washington, DC, January 15, 2024 - H.E Mrs. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, CEO of the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD (AUDA-NEPAD), concluded a successful working visit to Washington, DC from January 8 to 11, 2024. The visit aimed to enhance collaborations with the United States, aligning with AUDA-NEPAD's commitment to regional and continental development.

During her inaugural visit to the U.S in 2024, the CEO engaged in high-level bilateral meetings with key U.S Government Officials at the Department of State, the Millennium Challenge Corporation, United States Agency for International Development, the World Bank Group, and the Milken Institute. These meetings highlighted the potential for expanding cooperation on regional challenges such as climate change, food security, energy, health security, and infrastructure development, including digital transformation.

A significant focus was placed on the Second Ten Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063, emphasizing sustainable regional and continental cooperation in alignment with global visions like the Sustainable Development Goals.

Key Meetings:

1. Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC):

The CEO met with the CEO of the Millennium Challenge Corporation ,Honorable Alice Albright, and MCC’s  Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Ms. Chidi Blyden. The discussions focused on:

   - Integration of the regional dimension in MCC programs.

   - Exploration of opportunities under the AGOA and MCA Modernization Act.

   - AUDA-NEPAD's role in achieving impactful regional compacts in Africa.

2. United States Agency for International Development

The meeting with Dr Monde Muyangwa, USAID Assistant Administrator for Africa, centred around Regional cooperation with a specific focus on health, education, and youth.

The CEO briefed the delegation on "Energize Africa" with plans to continue the discussions at the upcoming African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in February 2023.

3. World Bank

In her meeting with the World Bank Vice-President of Development Finance, Mr. Akihiko Nishio, the CEO advocated for increased support by the Bank in various areas of development and emphasized on the need to collaborate on regional and continental infrastructure projects within the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) framework.

4. Milken Institute

Upon finalisation of the discussions with the Director, on areas of collaboration, CEO was invited to the 27th annual Milken Institute Global Conference that will be held in Los Angeles, California from May 5 to 8, 2024. The Global Conference will present a unique opportunity to present the various opportunities of investments in infrastructure particularly for industry leaders in finance, government, philanthropy and institutional investors. The collaboration with the Center for Strategic Philanthropy of the Milken Institute as well as the forthcoming Summits that will be held on energy and health in Africa in 2024 were also raised at the meeting.

The CEO's visit has served to strengthen ties with the U.S and has set the stage for impactful collaborations, with a focus on advancing the shared goals of sustainable development in Africa and the overall implementation of the Agenda 2063 vision towards Africa’s Development.