African policymakers met in Hammamet, Tunisia, to put forward Africa’s voice in shaping the post 2015 development agenda.
African Development Bank Vice-President for Operations, Aly Abou-Sabaa said: “This is the time for Africa to set its targets for the post-2015 development agenda […] It is critical that the voice of Africa is heard and accepted”.
Participants emphasised that any post 2015 goals should focus on quality, as opposed to the trying to cumulate up a large number of objectives. There was also a consensus over the need for political support to push for inclusive, greener and fairer growth, with greater accountability in the service sector, and a move to innovation driven economies which could provide decent jobs. The need for better development financing, and assistance with economic transformation was also highlighted.
The meeting was organised by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), the African Union Commission (AUC) and the UNDP. It was the final meeting in a series of three consultations on the post 2015 development agenda, following meetings in Kenya (October 2012) and Senegal (December 2012). These consultations have been designed to develop a formal African position on the post-2015 development agenda, to be endorsed by African Ministers and ratified by Heads of State at the African Union Summit in May 2013.
Read more at Post2015.org- what comes after the MDGs?