The New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) will host a top-level Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue at the Le Meridien Hotel in Abuja, Nigeria on October 29th 2006, in advance of its Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee (HSGIC) meeting. The event also marks the 5th anniversary of the establishment of NEPAD.

Over the past 5 years NEPAD have worked tirelessly to develop a new, comprehensive, holistic policy framework for African development that is supported by detailed indicative plans for all key socio-economic sectors. Through intensive dialogue and strong leadership, the international community, including the private sector, have been persuaded to pledge their support for implementation of the programmes.

The Multi-Stakeholder dialogue is designed to review, debate and explore mechanisms for the accelerated implementation of NEPAD. This is being done at the request of the Heads of State and Government of Africa, who are keen to ensure a full range of stakeholders actively participate in the implementation of NEPAD.

Commenting on the Dialogue, NEPAD CEO Professor Firmino Mucavele said: "NEPAD has made a commitment to take ownership of and responsibility for tackling the challenges that face Africa. This forum provides us with the opportunity to increase the engagement of various stakeholder groups with NEPAD. We believe that the opinions, ideas and actions of stakeholders across the board provide us with a rich resource of knowledge and capacity on how NEPAD can achieve its strategic aims and objectives. I very much look forward to the discussions that we will have."

The dialogue will feature contributions from stakeholders across the board including civil society, the private sector, African and international institutions as well as other development partners.

For more information on the NEPAD Multi-Stakeholder Dialogue contact:

Thaninga Shope-Linney
General Manager Communications and Outreach, NEPAD Secretariat +2711 313 3776
thaningas@nepad.org