14 June 2015: African Development Goals (ADGs) should be composed of milestones that contribute towards Africa’s long-term vision of structural transformation of the continent, declared UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) Executive Secretary Carlos Lopes. He delivered remarks to the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Head of States and Governments Orientation Committee at the 25th Summit of the African Union (AU).

Lopes said the ADGs should focus on sectors of importance for Africa’s development, particularly agriculture, education, employment, gender, governance, infrastructure, industrialization and social development. He also recommended the ADGs consider how mega-trends, such as demographics, environmental degradation, technological change and urbanization, impact Africa.

Lopes said the ADGs will draw on the positive attributes of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) within the context of specific African priorities, including compatibility with the Common African Position and Agenda 2063, and broader processes such as the post-2015 development agenda. He emphasized that the ADGs must take into account the different starting points of countries to allow them flexibility and space to adopt and adapt suitable policies.

To ensure success in articulating and using the goals, Lopes stressed the importance of strengthening statistics and statistical capacity within Africa. He explained that “existing programmes and frameworks are not yet being tracked and measured through a unified system of goals, targets and indicators.”

AU member States are expected to finalize the goals by the January 2016 meeting of the Heads of State and Government Orientation Committee. The AU Summit convened from 7-15 June 2015, in Pretoria, South Africa. [UNECA Press Release] [AU Summit Website]