Khanbhai (PPE-DE). – Madam President, the list of objectives for NEPAD is very long: it includes many different concepts such as conflict prevention, democracy and regional economic integration. The report by my friend and colleague, Mr Bébéar, is an excellent one. However, I should like to highlight that if, as he says, all these objectives were to be fulfilled, it would cost EUR 64 billion per annum. I do not believe that kind of money will be forthcoming.

As the last speaker said, whilst there is corruption, mismanagement, fraud and bad governance, we have to tackle the problem of poverty in Africa. If NEPAD is a solution put forward by African governments, then there may be a chance. We have examples of bad management and fraud: we have only to look to the news a week ago when Parmalat lost EUR 10 billion in Italy – a sophisticated, modern, western country! So it is not surprising that there will be difficulties in Africa. I do not condone them; I have always objected to and stamped on corruption wherever it is, especially in Africa.

We need to encourage NEPAD, especially the conception, growth and sustenance of small- and medium-sized enterprises in Africa, owned and run by Africans using the natural resources of their countries and employing their own people, with the appropriate training and help that we can give them. That is the engine for NEPAD – the economic engine that can bring about development. First, it must be formed in their countries, support the regional economy and then go beyond to EU and world markets. That is what NEPAD was conceived to be. The roof may be the African Union, the walls may be the pan-African Parliament, but the foundation of economic growth and the eradication of poverty in Africa has to be something like NEPAD. We ought to support it.