NEPAD at the Crossroads

The document reports on a growing crisis of credibility for the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), highlighting a significant gap between its visionary rhetoric and the actual implementation of projects. While some officials point to broader African progress and increased aid, critics, including the President of Senegal, argue that the NEPAD Secretariat has failed to deliver concrete results. Data from the African Development Bank reveals that a minority of infrastructure projects under the Short Term Action Plan (STAP) are being implemented. The text identifies several barriers to success, including a lack of regional capacity, failure to conduct feasibility studies, donor skepticism regarding unrealistic funding requests, and internal issues such as corruption and mismanagement.

• NEPAD is facing a credibility crisis due to its inability to translate high-level visions into tangible projects, with critics calling for a shift from rhetoric to implementation.
• An African Development Bank review of the infrastructure Short Term Action Plan (STAP) shows low implementation rates: fewer than half of 52 facilitation projects, only six of 18 capacity building projects, and only seven of 36 investment projects were being implemented.
• There is a fundamental disagreement regarding the role of the NEPAD Secretariat; while the head of the Secretariat views the body as a catalyst rather than a project implementer, critics argue this removes accountability for actual results.
• Several systemic obstacles hinder NEPAD's success, including a lack of regional capacity to execute programmes, donor concerns over unrealistic funding requests (such as the $18 billion agriculture plan), and internal African challenges like corruption and waste.

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} }