A Star is Born

The Second Conference of Heads of State and Government of the African Union meets in Maputo From 4th to 12th July, the African Union Heads of State and Government are in Maputo, Mozambique, to adopt a series of measures to put the Union firmly on the map

The main aim of the Mozambique Summit is to begin the New Partnership for the Development of Africa (NPDA), which aims to set up investment program and bring a real change to the lives of Africa's citizens.

Conceived by Presidents Thabo Mbeki (South Africa), Olusegun Obasanjo (Nigeria), Abdoulaye Wade (Senegal) and Abdelaziz Bouteflika (Algeria), the NPDA is the culmination of existing projects, such as Omega and Renaissance. The NPDA prioritizes the fight against poverty in a continent with grave difficulties caused by a variety of factors.

Drought and flood cycles, disease, chronic poverty and in some cases disastrous government have followed the instability caused by the colonial process, which gave rise to decades of ethnic conflict. Half of Africa's population of 700 million lives on less than one USD per day, the death rate in under-fives is 140 per 1000, life expectancy is 54. Little more than half the population has access to drinking water, the average illiteracy rate for the over-15s is 41% and there are 18 telephone lines per 1000 people,
compared with 567 in industrialized countries.

Africa has for too long been a provider of cheap raw materials and labor and it is time its citizens were given the right to make their own projects and resolve their own lives, solving their problems collectively in a spirit of mutual cooperation, together with partnership projects on a basis of equality from the rest of the world.

Also in Maputo, it is hoped to elect the President and Vice-President of the Commission of the African Union and set up the African Parliament, the Peace and Security Council, the Court of Justice and the Economic, Social and Cultural Committee.

Conference Dates
4 - 5 July: Sixth Ordinary Session of the Committee of Permanent Representatives and other Plenipotentiaries of the African Union

6 - 8 July: Third Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union

9 July: Arrival of Heads of State and Government

10 - 12 July: Second Ordinary Assembly of Heads of State and Government of the African Union

Other Events
27 June - 2 July: Meeting of African Civil Society Organizations, Maputo
1-2 July. Conference of Ministers of Agriculture of the African Union, Maputo