In the spirit of mobilising the full range of resources for the execution of flagship programmes and projects for the accelerated realization of Agenda 2063, the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD) has joined forces with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa and Southern African Development Community (SADC) to harness Africa’s Youthful potential  and position them as critical resources, to enhance implementation capacities to drive innovative and sustainable development across the continent, by signing a cooperation Agreement on 20th of July 2024 at the Margins of the 6th Mid-year Coordination Summit in Accra, Ghana. 

One of the critical areas identified for improvement is public service delivery, which remains a pressing issue across Africa. The onset the COVID-19 pandemic emphasised the inadequacies and fragilities in public service systems, impacting quality of life and constraining economic growth. This memorable agreement will allow for the deployment of Young Experts into COMESA and SADC under the AUDA-NEPAD Energize Africa Flagship Programme sub-component One. A solution-focused initiative, designed to provide action-oriented and circumstance-specific interventions by harnessing critical skills to reinforce Specialised-expert capacities in public and regional service. This is about top-class Specialised skills and competencies as much as it is about the ability of the public and regional service systems to embrace rapidly emerging technologies and management innovations for efficient and effective management and delivery systems: Improving on timeliness, predictability, accountability and value-for-money. This will create the enabling conditions that will help achieve the targets of the seven Moon shots of the Second Ten-Year Implementation Plan (STYIP) of Agenda 2063 including adequate technical resources.

The AUDA-NEPAD Energize Africa Sub-Component One aims to address these challenges by harnessing critical skills to reinforce specialised-expert capacities in public and regional services. This initiative emphasises the need for top-class specialised skills and competencies, as well as the adoption of emerging technologies and management innovations to improve efficiency, accountability, and value-for-money in public service delivery.

On the side-lines of the African Union Mid-Year Coordination Meeting in Accra, Ghana, the AUDA-NEPAD formalised agreements with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) to deploy Energize Africa Fellows. These agreements outline the roles, responsibilities, and cooperation frameworks for the deployment of highly skilled professionals to enhance the implementation capacities of these RECs.

The agreement with COMESA focuses on deploying fellows in key areas such as database management, social and cultural affairs, and donor coordination.  The agreement with SADC targets skills in digital transformation, plant genetics and resource conservation, and private sector development.

These agreements underscore AUDA-NEPAD's commitment to enhancing the implementation capacities of RECs and member states, bridging technical resource gaps, and positioning Africans as pillars of sustainable development. By deploying Energize Africa Fellows, AUDA-NEPAD aims to accelerate the implementation of priority programmes and projects, ultimately contributing to the realization of Agenda 2063's vision of "The Africa We Want."

The collaboration between AUDA-NEPAD and the RECs marks a significant step towards harnessing Africa's human capital for sustainable development. As the Energize Africa Programme progresses, it is expected to foster innovation, entrepreneurship, and economic growth, aligning with the broader objectives of Agenda 2063 and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through these strategic partnerships, AUDA-NEPAD continues to drive the continent's development agenda, ensuring that Africa's youth and skilled professionals play a central role in shaping the future