The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (Nepad) is the most comprehensive attempt yet by African leaders to produce a blueprint for the continent’s development. Although within it there are inevitable calls for increased assistance from the developed world, the thrust of Nepad is that the time has come for Africa to confront its increasing marginalisation in the new world order.
Nepad is novel in that it undertakes to consolidate and accelerate the promotion of democratic regimes in Africa that are “committed to the protection of human rights, people-centred development and market-oriented economies”. If it can meet the challenge of achieving wide acceptance in Africa it may be the beginning of a global partnership dedicated to turning around the world’s least developed region.
