ADDIS ABABA – The AU Commission on Wednesday in Addis Ababa inaugurated the final document of a Common African Position (CAP) on Post-2015 Development Agenda.
The AU Commissioner for Economic Affairs, Dr Anthony Maruping, presented the document at a news conference.
The final document was presented ahead of a UN debate to consolidate the gains of MDGs by extending it with a new development agenda and a new timeframe.
AU officials said the agenda would apply a top-down-approach which would rely heavily on domestic finances and less on Official Development Assistance to ensure sustainable growth.
The 28-page document contains six major areas of development priorities agreed by all African countries as “Common African Position’’ to replace the UN MDGs which is expected to elapse in 2015.
The six-pillar document was prepared by AU High-Level Committee on Post- 2 Agenda, led by the Liberian President, Mrs Ellen Johnson.
The pillars included Structural Economic Transformation and Inclusive Growth, Science, Technology and Innovation, People-Centred Development, Environmental Sustainability and Finance and Partnership.
The commissioner said that the MDGs had assisted African countries in redirecting their development priorities and setting targets to measure progress as well as stepping up effort to meet them.
He said that the African Development Bank (AfDB), under its Africa 50 projects, and the AU alternative sources of funding committee were working to evolve funding mechanisms to support the post- 2015 development agenda.
NAN reports that the AU presented the document in the presence of officials from South Africa, Ethiopia, Liberia and Algeria. (NAN)