Assembly/AU/Decl.2(XVIII) Page 1 DECLARATION ON THE PROGRAMME FOR INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT IN AFRICA Doc. EX.CL/702(XX) We, the Heads of State and Government of the African Union, meeting at the Eighteenth Ordinary Session of our Assembly in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from 29 to 30 January 2012, Considering the Treaty establishing the African Economic Community adopted in Abuja, Nigeria, in June 1991; Bearing in mind the Constitutive Act of the African Union adopted in Lomé, Togo, on 11 July 2000; Considering Declaration Assembly/AU/Decl. 1 (XII) of our Twelfth Ordinary Session in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia in January 2009 which resolved to support the Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa (PIDA) as the unique strategic and sectoral framework in Africa; Considering the vital and facilitator role of infrastructure and related services in the political and socio-economic development, and physical integration of the continent, as well as in the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs); Considering that infrastructure demand will increase continuously given the population growth and economic perspectives; Recognizing the need to speed up development of infrastructure and associated services in Africa and to put in place harmonized sectoral policies and programs; Recalling that the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) constitutes an African initiative and an African Union programme aimed at ensuring poverty reduction and sustainable development for which infrastructure is the cornerstone; Welcoming the various initiatives on infrastructure development in Africa, including: (i) The Infrastructure Consortium for Africa (ICA); (ii) The Africa - European Union Partnerships on Infrastructure and Energy, as defined in the Joint Africa/European Union Strategy (JAES); (iii) The Presidential Infrastructure Championship Initiative; (iv) The Special Fund of the NEPAD Infrastructure Project Preparation Facility (NEPAD-IPPF); and (v) The African Water Facility (AWF).