“Health systems in Africa were disrupted by COVID-19. However, the economic impact of the pandemic saw a rebound by most countries in 2021, with international support through debt relief and other measures on the continent. However, more action towards African countries’ economic recovery will be needed, with the support of institutions such as the African Union Development Agency-NEPAD,” Ms Diyana Gitera stated.

Ms Gitera made the above remarks during the opening of the 66th meeting of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Steering Committee which took place virtually on 18 January. She serves as Co-chair of the NEPAD Steering Committee and is the AUDA-NEPAD and APRM Advisor in the Office of the President of Rwanda.

Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, CEO of AUDA-NEPAD reported that during 2021, the AUDA-NEPAD technical teams delivered their results in the context of “adaption and anticipation.” It is against this backdrop that the Agency’s 2021 programmes adjusted to respond to the emerging needs and priorities resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and other challenges including locust plagues and extreme weather conditions experienced on the continent.

Members of the Steering Committee were informed that since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, AUDA-NEPAD pushed forward with speed and scale to tackle the immediate health crisis and socio-economic impact at the continental, regional, national and community levels, which led to a reprioritisation of strategic focus.

Strategic reprioritisation at the Agency therefore embraced multi-year programming with the intentional focus on transformational (medium to long term) results while addressing immediate needs. In response to Africa’s emerging needs, AUDA-NEPAD’s strategic priorities for 2022 fall under the following three signature solutions: (i) Health – Focus is on building capacity in the pharmaceutical and manufacturing sector and improving access to essential health care services; (ii) Economic growth and job creation through interventions aimed at enhancing infrastructure development, trade and markets and productivity-enhancing innovations, and (iii) Food systems, aimed at increasing agricultural and food productivity to ensure food and nutrition security.

Members of the Steering Committee also expressed appreciation of the key role played by Dr Mayaki while at the helm of the Agency. Dr Mayaki, whose tenure as CEO of AUDA-NEPAD will soon end, made the following remarks:

“This being my last NEPAD Steering Committee meeting, I am very thankful for the support of its committed members and deeply appreciate the quality of the teams that I have worked with. During the years spent in this agency I have learned enormously in terms of increased personal knowledge, by going through the dynamics of the African development context; I particularly enjoyed the intellectual capacity of the organisation’s staff who are highly competent professionally. I wish my successor the utmost support from the team and best conditions for success.”

The meeting concluded with a discussion on the draft agenda of the upcoming NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee (HSGOC) meeting, currently chaired by H.E Mr Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda. The NEPAD HSGOC is tasked with providing leadership to the NEPAD process, sets policies, priorities and the programmes of action.