OREANDA-NEWS. June 18, 2015. A special Valedictory Recognition of Dr. Donald Kaberuka was made by the Heads of State and Government on Saturday June 13, 2015, at the Sandton Convention Centre in South Africa for the 33rd NEPAD Heads of State and Government Orientation meeting.

Chair of the NEPAD HSGOC and President of Senegal, Macky Sall, recognized “the effective collaboration and constant support” of Dr. Donald Kaberuka, at the head of the African Development Group (AfDB) during ten years.

He also underscored the achievements made by NEPAD in advancing regional integration through infrastructure and capacity development projects. He noted the need to tackle illicit financial flows from Africa and to enhance the capacities of African member countries to negotiate mining and oil contracts for the social benefit of African people. President Sall also commended the NEPAD Spanish Fund for African Women’s Empowerment, in line with this year’s Summit theme. He mentioned Africa 50 as a solution of the infrastructure issue in the African continent.

Welcoming the delegation to the Opening Session, South African President Jacob Zuma underscored that investments in infrastructure programmes, regional integration and intra-African trade is Africa’s solution for sustainable growth and development.

African Union Chairperson and President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, applauded NEPAD’s breakthroughs in project conceptualisation and implementation on the continent. He said “NEPAD has provided critical synergies between and among African institution, thereby enhancing a much needed continental integration”. He urged the Agency to play a lead role in capacitating Regional Economic Communities to fast-track Africa’s quest for industrialisation and value addition of its vast mineral resources.

Newly elected President of Nigeria, Muhammadu Buhari, was welcomed to the HSGOC.  As a founding member of NEPAD, Nigeria emphasised its continued commitment to championing NEPAD programmes and projects, said Ambassador B.Z. Lolo, Permanent Secretary of Foreign Affairs, reading a speech on behalf President Buhari.

The 20- membership NEPAD HSGOC met ahead of the 25th AU Assembly, to provide leadership to the NEPAD process as well as to set policies, priorities and the programmes of action.

NEPAD Agency Chief Executive Officer, Dr Ibrahim Mayaki, reported back on concrete results made for the period January to June 2015. “We have achieved 313 results that each has had quantifiable impacts: 20 at the continental level, 30 at the regional level and 264 at the national levels. All the impacts demonstrated are geared towards the industrialization of the Continent”, he said.

The President of the AFDB provided a briefing on the Implications of the 21st Conference of Parties (COP21) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) for Africa’s Development Agenda.

African Heads of State and Government will continue at the two-day 25th Ordinary Session of the AU Assembly scheduled for Sunday and Monday. Among other topics, the Assembly will discuss, on Monday June 15, during the opening session, the theme of the summit i.e. “Year of Women Empowerment and Development Towards Agenda 2063”. Dr Donald Kaberuka will provide a statement.