Partnership around NEPAD

 Multilateral Organizations

Other projects

NEPAD counts programmes in various sectors including Health, Education, Environment, and Science and Technology.

Health

In the Health sector, starting in 2001 the priority was to lift the fight against the huge burden of potentially preventable and treatable disease to the top of the development agenda. Calls were made for unheard of levels of investment in health in order to advance social and economic development and for antiretroviral treatment. Since then there have been many developments, including the emergence of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and malaria and the 3x5 AIDS Treatment Strategy, amongst others. An overarching strategy to address AIDS and its impact on development further articulates the NEPAD "Fight Against AIDS". NEPAD's advocacy and action for increased support of integrated health systems as the vehicle with which to deliver programmes and for new approaches to training and retention of health professionals is influencing behavior both in Africa and internationally. Countries have moved to implement the NEPAD Health Strategy and the partnership with the World Health Organization, in particular its Regional Office for Africa, continues to yield positive results. The platform for accelerated development of innovative projects in support of health has been well laid.

Education

In education, NEPAD is supporting the development of distance education in partnership with the University of South Africa, the African Virtual University in Kenya, the National Open University of Nigeria and the Commonwealth of Learning in Canada. The focus is primarily on teacher training and development in a number of African countries. It is also supporting the preparation of post-conflict education strategies for Mozambique, the DRC, Angola and Rwanda. The other very important initiative is the expansion of science, math and technology education centre in Nairobi, Kenya, into a NEPAD regional project. The key development partner in these initiatives is Japan.

Science and Technology

In Science and Technology progress is being made with the establishment of centers of excellence. The International Livestock Research Institute in Nairobi, Kenya is hosting one of the NEPAD centers of excellence in biosciences. In addition other hubs are being established at the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in South Africa and at the Egyptian National Agricultural Organization in Egypt. Senegal has committed to host a hub for West Africa. The CSIR centre is focusing on health and the hub in Egypt is focusing on the linkages between health and agriculture. NEPAD is also in the process of identifying centers of excellence for water science and technology in co-operation with UNESCO. Leading partners in this sector are the governments of Canada and France. The African Union Commission and NEPAD have established a high-level African Panel on Modern Biotechnology to develop a comprehensive strategy and advise African governments on issues pertaining to advances in genetic engineering and genetically modified products. The Panel is also advising the AU Commission and NEPAD on the establishment of centers of excellence in biosciences, for which initial support has been received from the governments of Canada and Norway.

Environment

In Environment, funding has been secured for the appointment of experts in each Regional Economic Community (REC). Recruitment has already started. Sub-regional NEPAD Environment Action Plans are also being developed by each REC, based on the framework of the NEPAD Environment Action Plan. The key partners in this programme are the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Global Environment Facility (GEF). The African Stockpiles Programme (ASP), which aims to remove obsolete pesticides and associated chemicals in Africa, is also being rolled out. Through the support of the World Bank, FAO, CropLife International, PAN-UK, WWF, amongst other partners, South Africa and Tunisia have endorsed the project and have already began implementation, Ethiopia, Mali, Morocco, Nigeria and Tanzania were due to begin by mid-2006.