Libyan PM reaffirms country's willingness to contribute to NEPAD programmes and projects
Tripoli, Libya (PANA) -The Chairman of the Libyan Presidential Council, Mohamed al-Manfi, has reaffirmed that Libya will contribute effectively to the implementation of the programmes and projects run by the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) as part of its role as one of the structures of the African Union (AU).
He recalled his country's participation in two economic groups - the Union of Arab Maghreb States (UMA) and the Community of Sahel-Saharan States (CEN-SAD) - and its bid to host the headquarters of the African Investment Bank.
In a speech on Tuesday evening during the proceedings of the 41st meeting of the NEPAD Steering Committee of Heads of State and Government, held via Zoom technology with Presidents of Comoros, the current Chairman of the African Union, Algeria, Senegal and Equatorial Guinea, and the Chairman of the African Union Commission, as well as the Executive Director of the African Union Development Agency, Mr. al-Manfi said his call was aimed at accelerating the pace of economic growth and social integration, just days before the launch of the Global Skills for Africa programme at the next AU conference.
He stressed the importance of widening the circle of advice, implementation and reaching all African citizens, as well as maximizing the benefits of Agenda Africa 2063.
The Libyan official also recalled that the first decade 2014-2023 of the implementation plan of Agenda 2063 for Africa was marked by uneven implementation due to the need for greater coordination at the level of national, regional and continental development programmes.
He thus stressed the need to complete the strengthening of continental institutions by urging Member States to complete the accession and ratification procedures for the African Regional Free Trade Agreement and African financial institutions, so as to enhance the continent's capacity to increase sources of self-financing for ten-year development plans.
Mr. al-Manfi called for the creation of digital and traditional platforms at local, national, regional and continental levels for representatives of governments, the private sector and initiative owners, which would help to enhance transparency, exchange experiences and build capacity.
He stressed that "this call will strengthen and consolidate the principle of partnership between government and the citizen as it is the tool and objective of development".
He also called for attention to be paid to building the continent's capacities and consolidating African ownership of development and integration between the countries of the continent, through programmes aimed at empowering local communities, women and young people to benefit from the opportunities offered by digital technology, transformation and the knowledge economy.
This will also preset opportunities in terms of communication and bridging existing gaps, and focus on cooperation and integration between sectors and the expansion of manufacturing industries and intra-trade through which value is added to the raw materials produced by the continent, leading to the availability of the financial resources needed to build state-of-the-art infrastructure.
The chairman of the Libyan Council also called for the Action Plan for the Second Decade 2024-2034 to accelerate the implementation of priority programmes and projects across the continent, based on integration within the geographical framework of regional economic communities, in order to create wealth and improve living standards.
Mr. al-Manfi recalled the just African demands to reduce the burden of loans and debt servicing and the inability to reach other formulas that would enable Africa to obtain financing based on partnership and common benefit.
He stressed that the security, stability and prosperity of Africa, which is rich in natural resources, its cultural and civilizational wealth and its young human resources, were security, stability and prosperity for the world.
-0- PANA BY/JSG/SOC/BBA/RA 14Feb2024
