Mozambican Foreign Minister Leonardo Simao said in Maputo on Thursday that the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) is already yielding positive results in its various areas of action across the continent.
Addressing a meeting with the Mozambican parliament's International Relations Commission, Simao said that, for instance, the number of conflicts in Africa has dropped remarkably as a result of NEPAD efforts.
Among other noteworthy developments, he claimed, were that African electoral processes were less contentious in the past, and the increasing participation by African women in politics.
"The NEPAD political agenda is advancing", declared Simao.
The meeting was to brief the parliamentarians on preparations for the forthcoming summits of the NEPAD Implementation Committee, of the World Economic Forum (on the African Economy) and of the Africa, Caribbean, and Pacific (ACP) Group, to take place in Maputo in May and June.
The meeting of the NEPAD Implementation Committee is due on Sunday, followed by that of the World Economic Forum (2 to 4 June), and the ACP summit (22 to 24 June).
In his quality as chairperson of the Interministerial Commission for Major National and International Events, Simao has been in contact with different sectors of Mozambican society, to learn their points of view on this matter.
He told the parliamentary commission that all is being done to ensure the success of the three events, including in terms of logistics, security, and protocol.
The chairperson of the commission, opposition deputy Dioniso Quelhas, called for close coordination between the various bodies involved, noting that these meetings are set to bring great benefits to the country.
Simao said that Mozambique has the logistical conditions to host such large events, and the government is preparing to do its best, so to deserve enough confidence to be called upon to organize other such meetings in the future.
The one day NEPAD summit on Sunday will, among other matters, prepare Africa's participation in the next meeting of the G8 group of most industrialised nations, to be held in the United States on 8-10 June.
The list of participants at the NEPAD meeting has not yet been made public, but it is known that the presidents of South Africa, Botswana and Senegal, Thabo Mbeki, Festus Mogae and Abdoulaye Wade, have confirmed their presence.
Fonte: AIM
