Sisi lays out Egypt’s 5 priorities during NEPAD presidency

CAIRO - 16 July 223: President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi laid out Egypt’s five priorities of its presidency of New Partnership for Africa's Development’s (NEPAD) steering committee during the Fifth Mid-Year Coordination Meeting of the African Union on Sunday.

Firstly, Sisi thanked his Kenyan counterpart William Ruto for the generous hospitality and warm welcome, as well as the African Union Commission led by Moussa Fakih for the arrangement of the meeting. 

Egypt presides the Steering Committee of NEPAD in 2023-2024 during a very delicate situation internationally and regionally on the political and economic levels, Sisi said. 

The situation requires concerted efforts to continue the development trajectory of our African nations.

Egypt’s priorities during its NEPAD presidency are as follows:

1- A speedy completion of the second 10-year plan for the African Development Agenda (2024-2034).

Lessons learned from the first 10-year plan will be taken into account. The plan will be formulated in full coordination with the regional economic groupings so it can be a comprehensive document according to which we can evaluate our progress until 2034.

2- Mobilize financial resources for infrastructure within the framework of the African Infrastructure Development Program. 

That includes the navigation link project between the Mediterranean Sea and Lake Victoria and the land road linking Cairo and Cape Town. 

 Enhance the role of the industrial sector and get involved in value-added chains globally by stimulating diversification of African industries.

3- Intensifying efforts with international partners and financing organizations to find effective solutions to address the accumulated debt crisis.

Debt relief mechanisms should be development through exemption, swap or easy payment.

Proposals on the governance of the global financial system should be put forward in a manner that takes into account the needs of developing countries.

4- Accelerate progress of the Continental Free Trade Agreement.

Sisi lauded NEPAD’s launching of 100,000 small and medium companies to support these companies to integrate into cross-border trade.

He also praised the launching of Revitalize Africa initiative to build the capacities of African youth in the area of entrepreneurship.

5- Mobilizing for the tripartite program of peace, security and development, which shares its objectives with post-conflict reconstruction and development, which I supervised at the level of the African continent.

Sisio called on the NEPAD Secretariat to coordinate in this framework with the Commissioner for Peace, Security and Affairs The African Union Political Center, and the African Union Center for Post-Conflict Reconstruction and Development hosted by Egypt.

He also called for the adoption of the NEPAD Secretariat’s proposal to launch the “Africa Resource Mobilization Team” initiative to identify the financing needs of the African continent.