By Raphael MVOGO
YAOUNDE, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- Compared with other regions in the continent, Central Africa has registered weak levels of adaption to the New Economic Partnership for African Development ( NEPAD), officials admitted at a coordination meeting hosted by Cameroon this week.
"We are very late. NEPAD has begun its work in Congo in the field of infrastructures, and a little in health and agricultural. There are so many recommendations. The politicians are speaking but in practice, we are seeing nothing," declared Firmine Mikinguita, director of institutions and NEPAD organs in the Congolese Ministry of Economy and Planning.
"At the time when NEPAD is moving, people say nothing about us. It is until now that we are seeing a little bit of mechanisms being put in place for execution of the programs. But we always remain hopeful because it is an African Union program, its a program for Africans," she told Xinhua.
In her opinion, the biggest problem remains to be lack of communication.
"There are strategies that are known and which have been applied. We must effectively make them known on the ground. If the decisions are only taken at higher levels, meaning at the continental level, what will happen to the population? What will the rural people do?" she asked.
Mikinguita said the entire Central Africa region is trailing behind in implementation.
"We as Central Africa are complaining but we are also to blame because decisions are taken at the continental level. It follows that Central Africa is very slow in the execution of the projects in comparison to West Africa for example," she said.
Michel Towa, a Cameroonian expert in information and communication technology, said Central Africa, vis-a-vis West Africa, is not well represented in international organizations where decisions are taken.
Citing the creation of a group of Internet administration advisors around the United Nations Secretary General, he said, "Since 2006, we can count about 40 African participants. West Africa alone has sent about 20 among them 9 from Senegal."
By contrast, Central Africa distinguishes itself by sending only a single participant, as happened lately in 2009 : a Burundian national, said Towa.
The consequence is that West Africa, once there is a NEPAD recommendation, they are always on top. "They gain a lot from this program," Mikinguita noted.
Central Africa has for a long time been slowed down by leadership quarrels and the absence of a clear strategy of development and regional integration, leading to inability to lobby in international organizations, compared with other regions of the continent, according to the officials.
"Concerning NEPAD, Central Africa was not well placed in what was decided about 10 years ago. Central African Republic has followed some of those activities, being more alienated from the decision making table," admitted Dominique Guerematchi, a counselor of the country's Foreign Ministry, in reference to the economy and regional integration.
But since the 2003 political change in Central African Republic, the new leadership under Francois Bozize "is absolutely searching for a way of asserting themselves in the community of nations, particularly in Central Africa," he explained.
In other words, "Central African Republic is truly interested in NEPAD activities and we are in the process of seeing how to implement all the proposals" coming from this program, the official said.
Central African Republic is one of the regional countries recovering from instability, which has long undermined the collective power on decision making on any issue. Analysts have seen a turn for the better in recent years with regional countries
finding political solutions to end the protracted insurgency.
In fact, there have been achievements, especially in infrastructure, said Mamadou Hachim Koumare, director of the sub-regional office for Central Africa for the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa based in Yaounde.
"Out of the 14 projects that were put under the short term plan for NEPAD, there are about six that are already under execution," he affirmed.
"You have the project of rail route between the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the bridge between Central Africa Republic and the DRC," he pointed out.
He also listed two electricity interconnection projects between Central Africa Republic and the DRC, and between Chad and Cameroon, in addition to two road projects between Congo and Cameroon and between Cameroon and Equatorial Guinea.
"There's also funding for the ongoing repairs of the Inga dam in the DRC, " he added.
