NEPAD at the Crossroads

NEPAD is experiencing a credibility crisis due to a failure to implement concrete projects despite its visionary goals. While the Secretariat views its role as a catalyst for regional and national action, leaders like Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade criticize the lack of realized projects. African Development Bank data confirms low implementation rates for infrastructure projects, while barriers such as regional capacity gaps, donor inconsistencies, and internal corruption are cited as primary obstacles.

• NEPAD is facing a credibility crisis as supporters and leaders argue that the organization has focused too much on rhetoric and conferences rather than the actual implementation of projects. Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade stated that despite spending significant time and money on conferences, not a single project had been realized.
• Data from the African Development Bank regarding the infrastructure Short Term Action Plan (STAP) indicates low implementation rates: fewer than half of 52 facilitation projects were in any stage of implementation, only six of 18 capacity building projects were being implemented, and only seven of 36 investment projects had started implementation.
• There is a fundamental disagreement regarding the role of the NEPAD Secretariat. Wiseman Nkuhlu, head of the Secretariat, argues that the Secretariat's role is to act as a catalyst to 'energise, inspire' and that actual implementation and ownership must reside with subregions and individual countries.
• Several factors are cited as barriers to NEPAD's success, including a lack of capacity at regional levels to translate ideas into programmes, donor failure to follow through on pledges, and a lack of feasibility studies. Additionally, Olusegun Obasanjo highlighted that internal issues such as corruption, waste, and mismanagement must be addressed for NEPAD to succeed.

APA

South African Institute of International Affairs (2008). NEPAD at the Crossroads. https://saiia.org.za/research/nepad-at-the-crossroads/

Chicago

South African Institute of International Affairs. NEPAD at the Crossroads. 2008. https://saiia.org.za/research/nepad-at-the-crossroads/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=South African Institute of International Affairs |title=NEPAD at the Crossroads |date=25 April 2008 |url=https://saiia.org.za/research/nepad-at-the-crossroads/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{southafricaninstituteofinternationalaffairs2008nepad, author = {{South African Institute of International Affairs}}, title = {{NEPAD at the Crossroads}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2008}, month = apr, url = {https://saiia.org.za/research/nepad-at-the-crossroads/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }