NEPAD: A New Agenda or Another Rhetoric in Africa’s Political Adventurism?

Francis Nwonwu

Abstract: 

African states have passed through many stages of developmental metamorphosis since independence. Each stage has marked a political milestone for which a disproportionate amount of political inertia has dealt decelerating blows to development. This article examines the challenges facing the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). NEPAD was born against the backdrop of widespread political imbroglio involving civil wars, human rights abuses, and limited financial resources for development in Africa. NEPAD is perceived to have made considerable progress in agriculture, infrastructure, environment, and African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) implementations. The development partners, however, are accused of having failed to meet their financial and other commitments, a condition that African leaders branded “a letdown by donors who failed to live up to their pledges.” This article argues that the ability of NEPAD to deliver Africa out of the current political and economic limbo depends largely on how well it can galvanize the political will of African state agents and the moral conscience of local and international partners to implement the NEPAD strategies.

About the Author: 

Professor Francis Nwonwu is Chief Research Specialist and Coordinator of Sustainable Development Research at the Africa Institute of South Africa in Pretoria. Dr. Nwonwu has taught in six different universities within and outside Africa and consulted for the African Development Bank, IDRC, World Bank, FAO, and The Royal Swedish Academy, among others. Dr. Nwonwu was educated at the University of Ibadan and Iowa State University, where she earned her doctorate. She has been widely published in local and international journals.