The AU Summit of January 2008 marked the 6^th Anniversary of the adoption of NEPAD as a programme of the African Union (AU) (then Organisation of Africa Unity in 2001.  The Summit also marked the 5^th anniversary of the launch of the AU. The adoption of NEPAD and the launch of the AU have been historic events for Africa in the sense that both NEPAD and the AU were positively received by Africans and the international community. The transformation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU), into the AU, was driven by the values and principle of NEPAD, and focused the African agenda on sustainable development by way of prioritising poverty eradication and regional integration.   

The integration agenda of the continent was to be underpinned by the development and implementation of infrastructure projects that would interlink the continent. An added benefit of the integration agenda was to be realized through increased intra-Africa trade, as well as investments.  Part of the regional integration agenda was also to focus on the strengthening of regional economic communities, both as agents for delivering on the NEPAD objectives at the regional level, as well as regional rallying points for the integration agenda. The integration agenda therefore explains the NEPAD focus on the implementation of multi-country projects in most of the NEPAD priority sectors.

The purpose of the book is therefore to record and document the processes, dynamics, and factors that have influenced the evolution, successes, and challenges of NEPAD in the past 6 years.  The book will also analyse these processes, dynamics and factors with a view to making recommendations on how the AU and related processes  and should take NEPAD to the next level post the integration of NEPAD into AU structures and processes.

The book records this historical initiative, marking the African march towards “claiming the 21^st Century,” and demonstrating the central dynamics of the African Renaissance. This comprehensive research towards a publication is envisioned to be the first authoritative publication on NEPAD, contributing to Africa’s knowledge generation agenda.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hesphina Rukato is a Zimbabwean citizen, living and working in South Africa. She was the Deputy Chief Executive Officer at the NEPAD Secretariat. She has worked in various capacities on African Development issues.  In 2009, Dr. Rukato left the NEPAD Secretariat and is now working as an independent consultant.