The African Union Commission (AUC) has developed a draft Five Year Priority Programme that seeks to unlock employment opportunities, eradicate poverty and stimulate inclusive development in Africa. 

The First Five Year Priority Programme on Employment, Poverty Eradication and Inclusive Development (5YPP), was developed at the request of the 24th African Union Assembly of Heads of State and Government (Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, January 2015). 

On Tuesday 24 May 2016, technical experts from United Nations Agencies, African Union Commission,Regional Economic Communities (RECs),and Civil Society Organizationscame together to review and finalize the document, in preparation for its domestication by African Union Member States, at a three-day meeting at Dualala Resort in Debrezeit, Ethiopia.

The First Five Year Priority Programme on Employment on Employment, Poverty Eradication and Inclusive Development (5YPP) is in fact a strategic framework within which objectives of the declaration and Plan of Action on Employment, Poverty Eradication and Inclusive Development are to be realized.  Further, it feeds into the aspirations, goals and priority areas of the African Union’s first ten year implementation plan of Agenda 2063 as well 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals. Programme implementation is guided by the principle of subsidiarity and the need for its domestication at regional and national levels.

Director of Social Affairs, African Union Commission, Amb Olawale Maiyegun, in a speech read for him by Mr. Machacha Shepande, Head of Sport Division, said the draft 5YPP comes with considerable hope for tapping Africa’s demographic dividend by creating more and better jobs especially for the youth and women.

“We are now close to the time of implementation…the main responsibilities for implementation rest with Member States and RECs.  Planning, monitoring, and evaluation roles at national and regional stages play a key role,” said Amb. Maiyegun in his opening statement.

Director for the International Labour Organization (ILO) Country Office Director for Ethiopia, Djibouti, Somalia, South Sudan, and Sudan, Mr George Okutho, pledged support towards achievement of the 5YPP objectives and other African Union policy instruments.

“We look forward to strengthening this relationship both through the Regional Coordination Mechanism and work of the cluster on Labour and Employment”, Mr Okutho said.

The experts were also expected to adopt tools and baseline information to be used by Member States for planning, monitoring and evaluation of the first five year programme.