Osawaru Charges AUDA-NEPAD Officials to Drive Grassroots Development -

Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Cooperation and Integration in Africa, Hon. Billy Adesuwa Osawaru, has urged Nigerian AUDA-NEPAD State Coordinators and officials of Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to strengthen subnational implementation of continental development initiatives by aligning state development plans with the African Union’s Agenda 2063.

Osawaru made the call during a week-long high-level capacity building programme for AUDA-NEPAD State Coordinators and MDAs in Kigali, Rwanda, themed, “Bridging Continental Vision and Local Action: Empowering AUDA-NEPAD State Coordinating Offices and MDAs for Developmental Impact.”

Speaking as a facilitator at the training, the lawmaker, who represents Orhionmwon/Uhunmwode Federal Constituency of Edo State, described the participants as the “missing link” between continental policy frameworks and grassroots development.

He said the coordinators should view their offices as strategic platforms for attracting development opportunities rather than mere administrative structures.

According to him, the programme was designed to equip participants with the skills needed to access international development financing, including funding from the African Development Bank and other global development partners, through well-designed and bankable projects.

Osawaru stressed that state governments and MDAs must ensure policy coherence by aligning their development priorities with the objectives of Agenda 2063, the African Union’s long-term blueprint for inclusive growth and sustainable development.

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The lawmaker also explained that Kigali was deliberately chosen as the venue because Rwanda offers practical lessons in translating continental development goals into measurable national and subnational outcomes.

He urged participants to study Rwanda’s development model and replicate applicable best practices in their respective states to improve service delivery and accelerate socio-economic development.

The African Union Development Agency–New Partnership for Africa’s Development (AUDA-NEPAD) serves as the African Union’s development agency, coordinating programmes aimed at reducing poverty, promoting economic growth and advancing regional integration across the continent.

As Chairman of the House Committee on Cooperation and Integration in Africa, Osawaru oversees matters relating to the African Union and AUDA-NEPAD within the National Assembly. He said the training forms part of efforts to strengthen institutional capacity and improve the implementation of development programmes at the subnational level in Nigeria.