What do you know about PIDA?

By\ Mekki Elmograbi July 2015 The assembly of African heads of state and government on 26th May 2013 at African Union headquarters in Addis Ababa, was historical not just because it marked the Golden Jubilee of the African Union but also because it adopted the declaration of Africa’s long term national and continental development and technological transformation through a strategic planning and implementation process “Africa’s Agenda 2063”. Nevertheless, the real challenge to Agenda 2063 is to translate political statements and commitments into concrete actions not just by envisioning several measures at regional and national levels but by integrating the targets of Agenda 2063 into planning and implementation levels. Still we need “actions and programs” and also measurable achievements; here comes the importance of (PIDA); but what is (PIDA)? It is the Program for Infrastructure Development in Africa with the objective to accelerate the implementation of regional and continental infrastructure by 2040 according to action plan comprises the 51 well-studied and well-prioritized programs and projects that designed to address infrastructure main concerns and deficits in four careers: energy, transport, ICT and trans-boundary water. Figures and numbers can judge the implementation level especially when it comes like this “PIDA will implement short-and priority projects until 2020, medium-term projects between 2020 and 2030, and long-term projects between 2030 and 2040” Africa is aware of its challenges, one of them is the vital need of partners; it is worth mentioning that NEPAD, which is the New Partnership for Africa’s Development, was adopted by African governments of the Organization of the African Unity (OAU) in 2001 and was ratified by the African Union in 2002. This means there is a comprehensive development framework which is NEPAD, and there specific programs on infrastructure which is PIDA. Before PIDA and NEPAD, about six initiatives paved the way to establishment of these Pan-African frameworks and programs on a strong foundation and unanimous political and economic concepts. The initiatives were: “the Lagos Plan of Action (1980), the Final Act of Lagos (1980), Africa’s Priority Program for Economic Recovery (1986-1990), the African Alternative Framework to Structural Adjustment Program (1989), the African (Arusha) Charter for Popular Participation and Development (1990), the Abuja Treaty (1991) and the Cairo Agenda (1994) amongst others”. Read on: Sudan Vision http://news.sudanvisiondaily.com/article.html?rsnpaid=2547

This is Djibouti that I know!

By\ Mekki Elmograbi June 2015 Djibouti visit was the last station in “Kerry’s East African tour – May 2015” after Kenya and Somalia. It was the first ever visit for a U.S. Secretary of State to the Horn of Africa. Associated Press published very interesting article on the visit, “Kerry trip to Djibouti highlights importance of small nation now increasingly key to US policy”, the article commented on tiny Djibouti, which covers an area in the size of “New Jersey state” with less 1 million population, “A sleepy coastal nation in the Horn of Africa, Djibouti was the last French colony to achieve independence. Today, nearly four decades later, the mainly Sunni nation has become a critical part of U.S. foreign policy” Kerry headed directly from the airport to Salman Mosque, Djibouti, where he addressed the Islamic world through a short meeting with Djiboutian youth and the Imam of the Mosque. It is a wonderful initiative organized by the Djiboutian government; for this reason, I wrote “this is Djibouti that I know”, the people are loyal to their country, loyal to their religion and their culture but in the same time very open to discuss and to convey peaceful messages to the entire world not just U.S. Really, Djibouti is an advanced model of tolerance and sense of balance. Kerry discussed with President Ismail Omar Guelleh cooperation on security and other matters. Djibouti because of the wise and balanced policies of the President Ismail Guelleh became the safe heavens in the horn of Africa. It is small in size but big in its influence in the region; this made me write a series of article under the title: “Djibouti the Pomegranate of the Scale in East Africa”. It is just like the small metal ball in the Steelyard scale that makes the poise. U.S. is not one the biggest partners of investment and development but the ties between Djibouti and Washington based on cooperation, peace and security. In May of last year, President Guelleh paid a visit to the U.S. and met President Barack Obama and discussed several issues related to peace and security in the region. Djibouti is stable and it has been a political laboratory supplying other countries with stability remedies. Despite resistance to implementation here and there, the country has remained neutral against polarization and hijacking, it remained in safe hands of the smart leadership, whose wise foreign policies yielded it a state of security and stability to render it a rising regional economic power. It is worth mentioning and repeating again that Djibouti’s neighborhood has never been stable; this is what we will explain in another article.

I am not NCP member any more

I have been asked in 2011: What will you do, if the reform fails and if the reformative memo doesn't work. I said I will quit the party but that doesn't mean joining the opposition against the state, nor standing against my country or the Islamic orientation in Sudan. There is a big difference between political Islam that I criticized and the General Islamic orientation which could be very positive for democracy and stability in Sudan. What I want to confirm now, I failed in my efforts in reforms, I am not a member of NCP, I will stand with the NCP and all other political parties within the government or in the opposition in defending the country and working for democratic transformation. I still believe that Cooperation is needed among all parties. I will participate in the activities of Sudanese parties if I find the opportunity to cover the event or to say what I believe in but I am not a member of any party in Sudan. I hereby apologize for any mistake or misunderstanding. I participated in NCP for the sake of Sudan and I left the party when I discovered I cannot reform the bad things that I mentioned in My reformative memo of 2011. http://arabic-makki.blogspot.com/2011/02/reformative-memo.html Mekki ELMOGRABI January 2015