Overview

2010 marks an important year for Africa. Most key commitments for the continent’s development expire in 2010, including the Gleneagles commitments to double aid by 2010, the European Union - Africa partnership which includes commitments to increase aid to developing countries including Africa, and the 2010 targets for making aid effective as contained in the Paris Declaration. In addition, 2010 marks 5 years before the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) targets are supposed to be fulfilled, with a special United Nations Summit on the MDGs to be held from 20-22 September 2010 in New York.

Also significant is that the African Union/NEPAD African Action Plan (AAP) 2010-2015 has been adopted as the defining statement of Africa’s current priority programmes and projects related to the promotion of regional and continental integration.

The success of all these initiatives necessitates that we not only agree a shared vision for Africa post 2010, but also ensure that the process for defining such an agenda is sufficiently inclusive to give the outcome the broadest buy-in. As observed by the United Nations, “all citizens of the world, especially the poor and the most vulnerable, have a right to expect that their leaders will fulfill the commitments made in 2000. This is possible if governments, together with civil society, the private sector, the United Nations system and other international organisations, commit to building on the momentum (generated so far) and tackling the challenges that are evident” - UN report on MDGs 2008.

In constructing a defining statement of both the problem and the proposed solutions, it is critical that those most impacted, through their institutions are involved right from the formulation stage through implementation to monitoring and evaluation.

Against this background, African Monitor, a Pan-African body monitoring development funding commitments to Africa and facilitating the involvement of African voices in the development agenda, and a number of partners, including ONE and the Southern Africa Trust, are facilitating citizen consultations across the continent to develop a citizen-driven agenda for Africa in the second decade of the 21st century.

Recognising that there are ongoing continental processes to review progress towards the MDGs, and identify priorities for international community engagement, these consultations will also review the existing continental processes and submit recommendations to them.

The objectives of this process are:

• To complement the official efforts and garner support through broader consultations on the African Union Africa Agenda Action Plan 2010-2015, ensuring it is a genuine African agenda, wholly owned, driven and promoted collectively by governments, business and civil society, with the ultimate goal that it something all Africans can truly call their own and protocols that reflect what people want;
• To identify high impact sector and sub-sector priorities for implementation between 2010 and 2015;
• To identify key evidence that demonstrates the effectiveness of partnerships (among Africans and between them and the international community) and ensures that projects and programmes are propelled on an even more successful trajectory than has so far been the case;
• To galvanise shared expectations and excitement about prospects for Africa despite the current global financial crises and aspersions cast on aid;
• To generate commitment and renewed energy to drive local and international support for democracy and development in Africa, as defined by Africans.

The overall objective of these consultations is to ensure the buy-in and active participation by Africans in programmes aimed at improving the quality of their lives and the overall development and prosperity of the continent.

It is critical that these programmes enjoy a sense of shared excitement and commitment; that Africa has something it calls its own. This is particularly important as resource flows diminish and prioritisation becomes all the more critical.

The process will contribute to:

• A truly African agenda that more fully captures African voices and aspirations, and ultimately shapes the policy agenda for its people. Such an agenda does not suffer legitimacy and ownership challenges as witnessed in past African agendas;
• A platform for critical engagement not only for African governments and their structures, such as regional economic commissions, but also for a wider range of stakeholders such as civil society groups, Africans in the Diaspora and citizens;
• An Africa agenda that goes beyond making mere pronouncements about Africa’s development - the outcomes will be integrated in the existing programmes of African governments and be more broadly owned and independently monitored;
• An African agenda that will reflect and be built on good practice in development initiatives.

Key questions and issues to be addressed during the consultations include:

• What are the shared excitements and prospects for Africa beyond 2010?
• What are the emerging priorities that require serious attention by key roleplayers?
• What are the most sustainable and yet high impact sectors that Africa should be focusing on to end poverty and create shared wealth?
• What are some of the best practices or lessons that have demonstrated that development assistance, including aid, works for the poor in Africa?
• As Africa seeks additional resources to spur development, what will be the best way to deal with debt, aid, governance and development challenges?
• What is the range and combination of resource options that Africa should consider - ODA, philanthropy, repatriation of assets, carbon trading, domestic resources, Tobin taxes?
• What type of partnerships (e.g. emerging donors, South-South, traditional Western donors, etc) should Africa be forging 2010 and beyond?

Face-to-face consultations will be held at regional level (Western Africa, Eastern Africa, Southern Africa and the Maghreb), while a Pan-African meeting as well as a London meeting, for participants from the Diaspora, will also be convened. The regional consultations will bring together a cross section of stakeholders from as many of the countries in that region as possible, including African civil society formations such as NGOs, faith-based organisations, organised labour, professional associations, community-based organizations, the media, youth and women representatives; government officials; private sector, entrepreneurs and the informal sector, and ordinary citizens. Each country will then be expected to undertake further dissemination and popularisation activities to create a ‘buzz’ effect about the African Agenda 2010 and beyond.

Realising how limiting physical consultations are, it is critical that an e-consultation is undertaken to poll a broad cross section of African citizens, particularly young people, on these issues. 

Through the e-consultation process, referred to as #AfricanAgenda2010, mass input and collaboration will be leveraged. All in all, a total of over 10 000 people will make their input. The e-consultation will be a useful tool to solicit people’s perspectives on what they think are the key emerging priorities for Africa. This exercise will identify trends and common issues or priorities in a timely manner and, together with the physical consultations, will also explore emerging issues in greater depth.

The #AfricanAgenda2010 e-consultation is open to all African citizens, including in the Diaspora, and is coordinated by the Southern African NGO Network (SANGONeT).

The face-to-face and e-consultations are envisaged to achieve the following:

• General consensus and buy-in from African citizens key stakeholders on the key emerging priority issues for Africa for 2010 and beyond for integration into, and enhancement of the implementation of existing programmes of African governments and other institutions aimed at poverty reduction and sustainable development;
• A document outlining shared expectations and excitement, a consensual agenda of emerging issues as contextualised for the relevant regions, and recommendations and strategies for resource mobilisation, implementation and monitoring;
• Highlighted set of high impact priorities with agreed timelines for implementation by 2015.

The final outcome document of key emerging priorities from Africa will be widely publicised. A copy will be submitted to AU/NEPAD and shared at other key platforms at country, regional and continental levels, with special attention to those that can implement its recommendations by 2015.