African parliamentarians are to meet in Cotonou, Benin, on Tuesday and Wednesday to consider implementation of the new Partnership for African Development (Nepad), acting president of the forum of African Parliamentarians, Guy-Amedee Ajonoun, said on Sunday.
Nepad is an initiative by African leaders to explore ways of bringing the continent out of the economic doldrums. Ajanohoun said African heads of state and governments would brief the MPs on Nepad.
Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo, Thabo Mbeki of South Africa and Abdoulaye Wade of Senegal, would represent other African states at the briefing. Ajanohoun said the forum became necessary because Nepad was formulated by African leaders, with the backing of the developed world, without the involvement of African parliamentarians.
”We therefore want them to explain to us what Nepad is all about so as to enable us to formulate laws for the successful implementation of the programme,” he said.
About 400 parliamentarians are expected at the forum, which will also be attended by representatives of the US Congress and the European Union. – Sapa-DPA