Algerian President Bouteflika urges African leaders to complete NEPAD process

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika Sunday said there is an urgent need to complete the process of integrating the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) in the African Union.

• The Algerian president who delivered an address at the opening ceremony of the summit of the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) Heads of State and Government Implementation Committee meeting in Egypt considered the integration as a priority in view of the necessary need to coherence in social development of Africa.
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• “Africa needs to possess mechanisms and tools likely to control the achievement of structural regional projects with necessary efficiency,” President Bouteflika noted.
• According to him, the implementation of the NEPAD is firstly to allow economic development in Africa.
• The president stressed the necessity of giving the necessary importance to the current world food crisis. “Africa was surprised by this crisis and its density in particular.”
• “Thus, African agricultural development in all its dimensions must be at the core of African countries’ concerns. That needs to mobilise and unify efforts,” he added.
• President Bouteflika concluded that talks between African leaders must also deal with “weather changes which started having serious impacts on our continent.”