The Chief Executive Officer of the African Union Development Agency (AUDA-NEPAD), Ms. Nardos Bekele-Thomas, paid a working visit to the AUDA-NEPAD Nigeria office in Abuja, where she was warmly received by the National Coordinator/CEO, Hon. Jabiru Salisu Abdullahi, and senior management of the Agency.
During the visit, both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening synergy between the continental and national structures of AUDA-NEPAD to accelerate the implementation of Agenda 2063 and Nigeria’s National Programme of Action (NPoA). Ms. Bekele-Thomas commended Nigeria’s contributions to regional development and called for enhanced cooperation to achieve tangible, people-centered outcomes.
In her remarks, she made a passionate plea to the Nigerian government to resume its statutory contributions to the AUDA, stressing that such funding is critical to sustaining key development interventions, including agriculture, governance, youth empowerment, and continental peer review mechanisms.
Hon. Jabiru Salisu Abdullahi assured the Continental CEO of Nigeria’s continued dedication to AUDA-NEPAD priorities and emphasized the Agency’s recent milestones, including the successful disbursement of grants to smallholder farmers and expanded capacity-building efforts for staff and stakeholders.
The visit marks a renewed chapter of engagement, with both sides expressing optimism for deeper collaboration and more impactful development delivery across Nigeria and the continent.
