AUDA NEPAD

24/08/2026

Our CEO, H.E. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, is speaking today at the Leaders Forum, part of the Sustainable Infrastructure Development Symposium South Africa , being held in Cape Town.

Her address, "Building Bridges for Better Infrastructural Connectivity in Africa," looks at what it will take to move Africa's infrastructure programme from completed assets to fully functioning networks, and what decisions leaders in the room can act on today.

Follow along as we share highlights from the address.

18/08/2026

’s food future will be won in markets, finance and ex*****on.

In her latest African Business op-ed, our CEO Nardos Bekele-Thomas looks at the agenda as more than a continental commitment, but as an opportunity to unlock investment, strengthen agribusiness, expand regional trade and build resilient food systems.

Read article: https://african.business/2026/08/partner-content/africas-food-future-will-be-won-in-markets-finance-and-ex*****on

11/08/2026

Appel aux chercheurs africains dans le domaine de l’agriculture !

Les candidatures sont ouvertes pour l’Appel multilatéral à la recherche de la SGCI – Volet Agriculture, qui soutient des recherches collaboratives visant à renforcer des systèmes agroalimentaires plus résilients, productifs et durables en Afrique.

Les chercheurs sont invités à constituer ou rejoindre un consortium multinational et à développer des solutions autour de domaines prioritaires tels que :

🌱 L’agriculture intelligente face au climat
🌾 La sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle
🔗 Le renforcement de chaînes de valeur agricoles inclusives et durables
💡 L’innovation au service de systèmes agroalimentaires résilients
🤝 La production de données probantes et de solutions répondant aux besoins des communautés vulnérables et mal desservies

Cet appel constitue une importante opportunité de traduire les priorités de la Stratégie pour la science, la technologie et l’innovation en Afrique 2034 (STISA-2034) en recherches collaboratives et en solutions concrètes répondant aux défis agricoles du continent. En renforçant les partenariats entre chercheurs africains et Conseils subventionnaires de la science, nous pouvons générer les connaissances et les innovations nécessaires pour accroître la résilience, améliorer les moyens de subsistance et accélérer la transformation agricole durable de l’Afrique.

📅 Date limite de candidature : 25 septembre 2026

🔗 En savoir plus et soumettre une candidature : https://call.sgci.africa/

07/08/2026

President Félix Antoine Tshisekedi presided yesterday over the signing of the Host Agreement for the AUDA-NEPAD Country Office in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The agreement was signed by our CEO, Mrs Nardos Bekele-Thomas, and the Minister of External Trade, Julien Paluku, in the presence of the Prime Minister, Mrs Judith Suminwa Tuluka, and members of Government.

This office is not simply an administrative presence in Kinshasa. As our CEO made clear, it is a strategic commitment to accompany the DRC in translating ambition into implementation. "For AUDA-NEPAD to fulfil its mandate effectively, we must be closer to where implementation takes place," she said. "Closer to government. Closer to national priorities. Closer to transformational opportunities. And closer to the challenges that require continental solutions."

Minister Paluku placed the moment in a broader context, describing AUDA-NEPAD's role as the AU's implementation arm. The agency was created to advance the vision of an Africa free from poverty, conflict, and famine, and fully interconnected, with a mandate to transform ideas into projects and projects into mobilised resources.

"We can no longer see the DRC as an isolated country," he said. "We must see it as a link in the continent's development chain." He pointed to the Grand Inga project, which alone could bring electricity to between 300 and 600 million Africans, as proof that the DRC's resources and potential extend far beyond its own borders.

The DRC borders nine countries, so its development radiates well beyond its own frontiers. Its transport corridors connect regions, its energy potential could reshape Africa's industrial landscape, and projects such as Grand Inga and the Kinshasa-Brazzaville Road and Rail Bridge show how national ambition and Agenda 2063 converge.

The true measure of success for this office will not be that AUDA-NEPAD has established a presence in Kinshasa. It will be that priority projects move faster, investment is mobilised more effectively, and development outcomes improve for the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo.

05/08/2026

Six semaines après nos échanges du 19 juin en Afrique du Sud avec le Ministre Julien Paluku Kahongya, notre Secrétaire Exécutive, Mme Nardos Bekele-Thomas, a rencontré ce mercredi 05 août 2026 à Kinshasa le Ministre et les autorités congolaises, une nouvelle étape dans la mise en place de notre Bureau-Pays en République Démocratique du Congo. Demain, l'Accord d'établissement sera signé sous la présidence du Chef de l'État, S.E. Félix-Antoine Tshisekedi.

Le Ministre Paluku, Représentant Personnel du Président Tshisekedi auprès de notre Comité de Pilotage pour le mandat 2026-2028, avait été clair lors de notre rencontre en juin sur sa volonté de voir les choses avancer rapidement. Il avait décrit la RDC comme un carrefour du continent, reliant le Nord, le Sud, l'Est et l'Ouest de l'Afrique, et un pays déterminé à être un partenaire à part entière de l'Union Africaine plutôt que de rester en marge.

Cette rencontre avait aussi porté sur le rôle du Comité de Pilotage, ainsi que sur les travaux de l'AUDA-NEPAD en matière d'infrastructures, d'économie verte et de transition énergétique, des chantiers sur lesquels la RDC entend s'impliquer pleinement.

Avec ce Bureau-Pays, l'AUDA-NEPAD disposera désormais d'un ancrage permanent sur le terrain en RDC. Un coordinateur pays travaillera aux côtés des ministères pour arrimer nos programmes continentaux aux priorités nationales, appuyer la mobilisation de ressources pour le plan de développement du pays, et maintenir l'agence au plus près des priorités de la RDC à mesure qu'elles évoluent.

05/08/2026

We had the pleasure of welcoming Dr Paubert Mahatante, Fisheries, Blue Economy & Climate Change Expert and former Minister of Fisheries and Blue Economy of Madagascar for a courtesy visit to our head office. Dr Mahatante met with Director Amine Idriss Adoum and Dr Bernice Mclean on the new Programme for African Developing Island Economies and discussed areas of alignment with the broader AUDA-NEPAD Blue Economy Programming.

04/08/2026

is sitting on $4trillion of accessible capital. Even a small percentage of this wealth can transform economies and solve almost all our infrastructure needs.

What is needed now is action by all parties concerned- our CEO, Nardos Bekele-Thomas shares her opinion in this thought leadership piece featured in the African Banker. See below to read more : https://african.business/2026/08/african-banker/africa-has-the-money-to-build-the-africa-we-want

04/08/2026

The AUDA-NEPAD Africa Policy Bridge Tank, in collaboration with the Pan-African Parliament, invites young researchers, policymakers, entrepreneurs, innovators, students, development practitioners and members of the African diaspora to submit original contributions to the Africa Youth Economic Forum (AYEF) 2026 Knowledge and Policy Series.

Theme: Unlocking Africa's Youth Dividend - Innovation, Inclusion and Economic Transformation

We are accepting research abstracts, policy papers, policy briefs, opinion pieces, youth innovation stories and country economic outlook notes.

🗓️ Submission deadline: 18 August 2026
🗓️ AYEF 2026: 27-28 August 2026 | Pan-African Parliament, Midrand, South Africa

Submit to [email protected] and [email protected] (cc both)

Visit https://www.nepad.org/AYEF for full details

The African Union Development Agency-NEPAD facilitates and coordinate the implementation of regiona

31/07/2026

Today we celebrate and honour the women who have shaped and continue to shape our continent's development journey. From the founding of the Pan-African Women's Organisation in 1962 to the women leading industrialisation, agriculture, health and infrastructure programmes across Africa today, their contribution remains central to the vision of .

At AUDA-NEPAD, we recognise that Africa's transformation cannot be achieved without the full and equal participation of women at every level of decision making.