Senegal's president said a lot of time and money had been spent on conferences, with few results

His words are scathing considering he was one of the architects of the African home-grown plan for economic development.

Nepad was launched in October 2001 with the idea that Africa would improve its governance and western donors would increase aid.

Do you know what Nepad is? Do you know of any Nepad initiatives in your community? Have you experienced Africa's home-grown plan for economic development? Send us your comments, views and experiences using the postform.

This debate is now closed. Thank you for your comments.

The following comments reflect the balance of opinion we have received so far:

Nepad is just an idea design to enrich African leaders of this century Zarzar Dehnunzwe D, USA

I have heard about Nepad only through BBC news. All African leaders are self centred to every century, there must be an organization of those leaders of that century to design ideas for their own interest. How to enrich themselves? They only care about their family. Nepad is just an idea design to enrich African leaders of this century.
Zarzar Dehnunzwe D, Minneapolis, USA

I'll start believing it exists when I see a difference. It's all good talking but how does that help us? They are continually coming up with all these great ideas but none of them ever seem to work even after donations from Western countries... why? Corruption!
Wendy, Blantyre, Malawi

Nepad is not a bad idea - it just needs time to get off the ground. Africa cannot just agree a joint approach to its centuries of problems and then assume that all will instantly be well. Ever since colonial days, the terms of trade have been rigged against Africa and it was only thanks to great effort and commitment from some of Africa's more insightful leaders that Nepad was actually conceived in the first place. Now it needs to garner the commitment of a clear majority of leaders, and to develop a small number of pilot projects which will give international institutions confidence in African development trends. But above all, it needs to see changes in the international trading and financial systems which are currently stacked against it. And there's not much sign of that.
Heather Kennedy, Porto Novo, Benin

Our leaders are mis-leading us, while the rest of the world sniggers behind their polite facade Nick Roux, South Africa

Nepad is a joke to the rest of the world. Do I know of any Nepad initiatives? None at all. Zero. Have I experienced Africa's home-grown plan for economic development? No. Neither did I notice any other respondents demonstrating any achievements. Three years on, and all there has been is talk? My perception is that these conferences are a glorified holiday taken by people who are unable and/or unwilling to achieve anything tangible. They continue to squander significant amounts of money with nothing to show for it, apart from their personal Swiss bank accounts. Wake up Africans! Our leaders are mis-leading us, while the rest of the world sniggers behind their polite facade.
Nick Roux, Cape Town, South Africa

For us in Nigeria, the Nepad dream and vision is an eldorado Kingsley Iheanacho, Nigeria

Nepad was initiated to speed up Africa's wholesome economic development. I do not know of any Nepad initiatives in my country apart from the fact that many lucrative political offices and committees were created for Nepad's purpose in Nigeria. A lot of money has been budgeted for these offices with no corresponding output or impact felt by the generality of Nigerians. Costs and inflation rate is rising day by day with the masses getting poorer and poorer. For us in Nigeria, the Nepad dream and vision is an eldorado.
Kingsley Iheanacho, Abuja, Nigeria

I think I know Nepad. It stands for Nonsense Engagement in Politics And Development. It is a very nice way of wasting Africa's hard earned money.
Dawit, Ethiopian in Melbourne, Australia

By and large, this Nepad might just be a point of no return or a wild goose chase, so please, drop it like a bad habit Shuttie, Zambia/Central Africa

This brave son of Africa might be one of the architects of whatever African plan for economic development, but surely, it doesn't take a blind and dull below average person to see and admit that a plan such as this will only siphon the little resources left in the state coffers to host half of Africa for any such deliberations. It is common knowledge that our part of the world (Africa} is synonymous for lack of foresight and implementation of programmes and therefore, a good leader will by all means avoid spending money unnecessarily, more so, tax payers money.

Going flat out trying to con donors into dishing funds for the privileged few should now be treated as a state offence. Frankly speaking, if there have been initiatives in my community and these had proved successful, we would not be on the list of (HIPC} In order to avoid over spending on these gatherings, perhaps a phone- in session by our leaders or whichever stake holders would be more economic and appropriate than keeping half of Africa in five star hotels considering even our eating, drinking and other social habits which at the end leave the central banks in the red.

There are serious monetary problems in our states and going to conventions whose resolutions do not take off while huge sums of money have been ploughed into such ventures is the worst plunder of all time. By and large, this Nepad might just be a point of no return or a wild goose chase, so please, drop it like a bad habit. NB: Are the African states ready to be supervised by South Africa over this Nepad?
Shuttie FN Libuta, Zambia/Central Africa

I know what Nepad is. It is an African socio-economic initiative that is concerned with development and governance. Hamidin Maalim Sosa, Sudan

I know what Nepad is. It is an African socio-economic initiative that is concerned with development and governance. However, it made a false start because as an African enterprise; instead of starting from the masses of the people below, it started from above by a few idealists. Although it is too early to count for its achievements before it is fully grounded, it should not be purely and inspiring agent but a real action-oriented economic and scientific instrument of the African people in their own situation and expectations.
Hamidin Maalim Sosa, Sudan

Nepad is little known to the African common man. This so-called 'African Initiative' is still as one commentator termed it: a mere 'kneepad'. It is an autocratic corporate that gives no balance to the African regional representation and it is seemingly deaf to the voices of its critics. Unless it fully involves the civil society, the African intellectuals and the AU's regional participation and gender equality representation, it will remain a far-fetched organ of a few African politicians.
Ally Mahfuth, Chad

I can't imagine how much amount of money is spending in fruitless meetings and conferences.
Degen, Eritrean in Italy

I will have confidence in Nepad if it is managed by the only well constituted country in Africa with national plans - South Africa. The other entities around Nepad are 'gaping holes' and are sure to swallow any resources made available to Nepad. Leaders that do not do any useful with resources of their countries should be kept away from Nepad.
Anon, Kuwait

I work in the heart of the development finance sector in an organisation in Brussels. Nepad is indeed failing, but it's gratifying to see that President Wade is admitting it. The problem in Africa remains local corruption, certainly not lack of donor money or EU willingness to help Africa.
TDP, Brussels, EU

Nepad will pose a real challenge to the exploitative nature of relations between Africa and the West in particular. K Capelz, Cape Town

Nepad will pose a real challenge to the exploitative nature of relations between Africa and the West in particular. Nepad's success can be measured by how much it rubs the West up the wrong way as its success would limit or reduce the level of exploitation of Africa by the West. Mugabe is given as an example of why Nepad is a failure whereas Museveni is seen as a success.

This is true if you look at things through western eyes. Many Africans see Mugabe as a hero because he is standing up against Western exploitation and racism. Museveni is seen as a success because he is a yes man to the British in particular and the West in general. Museveni was never elected but is recognised by the West as the leader of Uganda. More people have died in the north of Uganda than ever died in Zimbabwe but this is conveniently ignored by the West. Nepad or no Nepad it's high time the West ended its duplicity and double standards in Africa.
K Capelz, Cape Town, South Africa

I agree with Senegal's President. One of the great pit falls of African leaders is the formation of conferences and committees that end up spending so much money through expenses and corruption. We have gone to an extent of forming committees to investigate committees. I think African Leaders should look, learn and see. This does not work! They should start solving problems from the grass roots.
Peter Tuach, Sudanese in Minnesota, USA

Nepad is a grand idea and scheme that can best work in the salutary context of a broad uniformity of creative leadership across the African continent. The way it was initiated, with a handful of lucky countries and leaders, ensured that it would be doomed from its very inception. Remember, capitalism works best with economies of scale; unfortunately, our dear continent is still a war zone.
Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe Jr, Bronx, New York

Nepad is the New Economic Partnership for Africa's Development. Coupled with the African Union, the two groupings plan to push the African Renaissance and make it a reality. I think President Wade is a little too impatient. Nepad is still in the implementation process in most parts of Africa and only after it has been totally implemented, recognized and accepted by the peoples of Africa, can we expect results.
Aminu Wouba, Kumba, Cameroon

African leaders are notorious for letting their people down and it looks like Nepad is just another begging bowl talk shop masquerading as something serious.
Wilhelm, Cape Town, South Africa