Addis Ababa, 13 October 2026 (ECA) - Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) Executive Secretary Claver Gatete urged African countries to turn the commitments of the Pact for the Future into development programmes backed by adequate financing and measurable results, as he addressed African leaders and senior United Nations officials in New York.
Speaking at a high-level meeting on 22 September, on the margins of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Mr. Gatete called for closer alignment between the Pact, the African Union's Agenda 2063 and national development plans and budgets, while addressing debt, high borrowing costs and other barriers to investment.
Adopted in September 2024, the Pact sets out 56 actions covering sustainable development, peace and security, science and technology, youth and future generations, and global governance.
The meeting assessed progress two years after its adoption and the challenges ahead of the 2028 review.
Drawing on his engagements across the continent, Mr. Gatete described young entrepreneurs with promising digital businesses but little access to affordable capital, government officials forced to choose between servicing debt and funding essential public services, and farmers lacking irrigation, insurance and access to markets.
“So, when we talk about accelerating implementation, this is where it must make a difference,” he said.
He outlined three priorities, emphasizing the need to align the Pact with existing development plans, mobilize financing for infrastructure and jobs, and measure progress against development outcomes.
Mr. Gatete urged countries to map the Pact's 56 actions against Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals and national budgets to identify gaps and financing needs.
“Africa must also come to the table with investable programmes, not simply a list of needs,” he said.
On domestic resource mobilization, Mr Gatete pointed to Africa's tax-to-GDP ratio of 16 per cent, compared with 34 per cent in the European Union, arguing that African countries must do more to generate the resources needed to finance their development.
He also called for reforms to an international financial system in which debt and high borrowing costs constrain investment, and for greater African influence in institutions shaping decisions on finance, taxation, technology, peace and security, including the United Nations Security Council.
To strengthen accountability, ECA proposed an annual Africa-focused dashboard linking the Pact's commitments to Agenda 2063, the Sustainable Development Goals and national priorities. The proposed mechanism would track progress, identify gaps and financing needs, and assess results through indicators such as job creation, reduced business costs and improved connectivity.
“History will not ask how eloquently we described the future. It will ask whether we financed it, whether we made global institutions more representative, and whether we delivered it in the lives of our people,” Mr. Gatete concluded.
President Nandi-Ndaitwah of Namimbia, whose country co-facilitated negotiations on the Pact, emphasized the responsibility of African countries to take ownership of its implementation. She cited Namibia's investments in education, youth entrepreneurship and digital transformation, and called for stronger domestic resource mobilization, action against illicit financial flows and greater African participation in international tax cooperation.
African Union Commission Deputy Chairperson Selma Malika Haddadi acknowledged progress in advancing some of the Pact's commitments but cautioned that implementation had yet to match the ambitions of the agreement.
“Our task is to continue to be active participants in shaping the multilateral system, not by sitting at the table, but by shaping the very agenda being discussed at the table,” she said.
ECA will continue working with the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, member States and other partners to develop investable programmes and support implementation ahead of the Pact's scheduled review in 2028.
The meeting, chaired by President Nandi-Ndaitwah and jointly organized by Namibia, Zambia, the African Union and United Nations partners, including ECA, also brought together Kenyan President William Ruto, Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye, Uganda's Vice President Jessica Alupo, ministers from across Africa and senior UN officials.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
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Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org