By Faith Anisiobi, The Sight News
Nigeria has called for stronger cooperation among the founding members of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD), while urging African countries facing rising tensions to embrace dialogue and peaceful resolution of disputes.
The Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Amb. Sola Enikanolaiye, made the call on behalf of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the NEPAD Founding Member States’ Summit held in Alamein, Egypt.
The summit, hosted by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, marked the 25th anniversary of NEPAD.
President Tinubu, in a statement delivered by Enikanolaiye, said the anniversary provided an opportunity for the founding countries to reflect on NEPAD’s achievements, assess current challenges and renew their commitment to Africa’s development.
He commended Egypt for its hospitality and the Chief Executive Officer of AUDA-NEPAD, Nardos Bekele-Thomas, for her leadership and achievements under the second Ten-Year Implementation Plan of Agenda 2063.
Tinubu said NEPAD’s founding principle that Africa’s development could not be outsourced remained relevant amid geopolitical tensions, climate change, technological gaps and difficult global financing conditions.
According to him, Africa has no shortage of development strategies, including Agenda 2063, the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) and the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP), but must focus on implementing them to improve the lives of its people, particularly youths and women.
Nigeria proposed five strategic priorities for the founding states: accelerating continental economic integration through the full implementation of AfCFTA; closing the infrastructure gap through cross-border projects and strategic corridors; strengthening development financing and mobilizing African capital; investing in education, science, technology and vocational training; and promoting peace, security and good governance.
On peace and security, Tinubu urged African leaders to intervene diplomatically in disputes between sister countries that are at risk of escalating into armed conflict.
The appeal was understood as a reference to rising tensions between Ethiopia and Eritrea.
He warned that terrorism, violent extremism, transnational organized crime and political instability continued to threaten communities and undermine economic development.
The President called for increased intelligence-sharing, stronger border management, greater investment in addressing underlying socio-economic challenges and accelerated operationalization of the Africa Standby Force.
Nigeria also welcomed the Summit Declaration and expressed readiness to work with other founding states on a structured cooperation mechanism covering trade, infrastructure, energy, food security, technology, development finance, human capital, peace and security.
The proposed mechanism, the statement said, would complement the work of AUDA-NEPAD and the African Union.
