On Friday, 1 March 2024, the Mo Ibrahim Foundation hosted a webinar discussing the implementation of the African Union Agenda 2063 and the First Ten-Year Implementation Plan (FTYIP) (2014-2023). Building on key takeaways from the 37th AU Summit (17-18 February in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia), the main focus of the webinar was to discuss citizens’ perception of progress during the decade covered by the FTYIP, as well as key longstanding data gaps related to measuring implementation.
The webinar was hosted by Sharon Boaduwaa Boadu, Birmingham Scholar and intern at the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, who was joined by the following speakers: Luladay Berhanu Mengistie, MIF ITC Fellow and Trade Law Specialist, Lolan Ekow Sagoe–Moses, Associate at DLA Piper and Alpha Bangura, Executive Director at Sustainable Education Africa.
Key highlights
Progress at country level
- At the end of the FTYIP, only ten countries have been able to implement 50% or more of the goals: Rwanda (64%), Ethiopia (63%), Senegal (63%), Zimbabwe (61%), Togo (60%), Tunisia (54%), Uganda (54%), Algeria (53%), Kenya (51%) and Mauritius (50%).
- Eleven countries have an implementation rate of 30% or less: Botswana 29%), Burundi (29%), Namibia (28%), Zambia (27%), Lesotho (26%), Equatorial Guinea (22%), Liberia (22%), Sierra Leone (22%), South Africa (22%), Mauritania (11%) and Benin (6%).
Progress at goal level
- Only Goals 3 – Health, 8 – United Africa, 10 – Financial and Monetary Institutions,13 – Peace and Security and 17 – Gender Equality are assessed as being more than 70% implemented.
- In opposition to this, only Goals 4 – Transformed Economies, 1 – A High Standard of Living, Quality of Life and Well Being for All Citizens, 12 – Capable Institutions and Transformative Leadership in Place and 18 – Engaged and Empowered Youth and Children are assessed as being less than 35% implemented.
Assessing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA)
The headways made primarily in the ratification of the AfCFTA as well as the establishment and operationalisation of the AfCFTA secretariats have led to the realisation of 84% of the Aspiration 2 of Agenda 2063 – Have world class, integrative infrastructure that criss-crosses the continent. In view of all these encouraging progresses, some critical targets might have been missed and perhaps stand in the way of Africa achieving in full Aspiration 2 of Agenda 2063. These critical targets include the failure to use the AfCFTA as a platform to unite Africa with one voice and collectively work to promote common interests and position in the international arena, the persistent bilateral trade negotiations with third parties and the failure to define the role of RECs. As Africa moves on to the next stage, all these targets must be addressed to make significant headway in the next decade.
Leveraging the AfCFTA to have Africa speak with one voice will go a long way to transform economies.
- Luladay
Assessing the education sector
The second goal of Agenda 2063, which is having well-educated citizens and leading a skills revolution underpinned by science, technology, and innovation, requires massive investments and systems reform. According to UNICEF, most countries spent less than 30% of their income on the education sector before 2013. However, since 2013, there has been an increase in progress including in education partnerships among the global north and within African countries.
These education finance mechanisms focus on outcomes-based financing, radical inclusion and creating transition pathways from school to career. Cases in point where significant progress has been made are Ghana and Sierra Leone. Despite the progress made in the education sector in the past years, certain key challenges remain that needs to be resolved including challenges with infrastructure, lack of monitoring and evaluation which contributes to the persistent unavailability of data, weak enforcement of research, sectoral policies, and data collection across several African countries. The high population growth on the continent should not be seen as a problem but as an opportunity to be utilised to achieve Agenda 2063 by focusing on education and human capital development.
We need access to the right data to assess the situation and how to make improvements. We need enforcement across the education sector and sectoral policies and data quality, which is weak across a wide variety of African countries.
- Alpha
Domestication of Agenda 2063 goals
Local ownership at the citizen level is essential for the legitimacy of most political projects – and the AU is no exception.
- Lolan
The African Union stated in its 2013 political statement its goal of becoming a people-centred organisation driven by its own citizens as such the essence of the concepts of domestication and local ownership in the achievement of the Agenda 2063 goals. According to Lolan, the African Union must take a second look at the framing of domestication by moving its definition and implementation from only the integration of the 2063 plan into continental, regional and developmental frameworks to knowledge and buy-in of stakeholders particularly citizens, and civil society, among others.
Lack of knowledge about the AU as an organisation and its goals, as purported by an Afrobarometer survey, translates into limited support for integration across various countries and regions. For the next decade, the AU must concentrate on educating its citizens on the knowledge and goals of the organisation and engage with local stakeholders in audio forms of communication as well as in their native languages. The AU must also take advantage of in-country civil society organisations, particularly research and data-based organisations to help bridge the data gap and serve as watchdogs over the governments in the various member states.
Partnerships for Agenda 2063.
One of the ways African youths can contribute to Agenda 2063 is to lead change through your PICS – passion, interests, causes and skills.
- Alpha
Young people, international organisations, and the global markets can collaborate to achieve Agenda 2063. Young people, one of the greatest assets of the continent, can lead and drive change in their various spaces through their PICS – Passion, Interest, Causes and Skills.
The AU could also foster opportunities for young people to meet, engage and understand the organisation as well as incorporate the study of the organisation in the various educational levels.
Regarding international partners, although reducing dependency forms part of Agenda 2063 goals, reality and the current financing gaps necessitate engagement in partnerships. For the next decade, these engagements could be defined with stronger ownership by African countries and ensuring accountability remains the responsibility of the various member states.
The international development partners have been largely effective in providing support – but the onus is on African countries to define the kind of support we need.
- Luladay.
