Hon Speaker, Firstly let me clarify that I am not the President of the African Union Programme for Infrastructure Development in Africa. The initiative is led by the African Union Commission with the African Development Bank as the implementing agency. Its purpose is to develop a vision and strategic framework for the development of regional and continental infrastructure.
In January 2011 the heads of state of the African Union endorsed key priority projects and their respective champions, as identified by the New Partnership for Africa's Development High-Level Sub-Committee on Infrastructure.
In this regard, Algeria is responsible for the Missing Links of the Trans- Sahara Highway and Optical Fibre projects along the same alignment; the Republic of Congo for the Kinshasa-Brazzaville Road- Rail Bridge project; Egypt for the Water Management, River and Rail Transport Infrastructure project; Nigeria for the Nigeria-Algeria Gas Pipeline project, and Rwanda for the Information and Communications Technology, ICT, Broadband and linking the fibre optic network into neighbouring states.
Senegal is responsible for the Dakar-Ndjamena-Djibouti Road and Rail project. South Africa has been given the task of managing the North-South Corridor Road and Rail project. The Presidential Infrastructure Champion Initiative, which I therefore lead, covers broadly the following sectors: transport, energy, information and communication technology, water and sanitation, as well as agriculture. As such, the question of maritime safety is not within my mandate. However, I am aware that the African Union has a long-term focus on maritime security as part of its comprehensive 2050 Africa's Integrated Maritime Strategy.
As a member of the AU, we have been actively engaged with this strategy through the Minister for International Relations and Co-operation, as well as the Minister of Defence and Military Veterans. The 2050 Africa's Integrated Maritime Strategy remains in draft form and the African Union Commission has embarked on a consultation process with member states on the finalisation of its content.
For our part, the South African Navy and the South African Maritime Authority played an active role in providing the initial input to the document. The Department of International Relations and Co-operation is consulting and co-ordinating with all relevant departments whose portfolios would be affected.
Given that Africa's Integrated Maritime Strategy remains a draft which has yet to undergo further consultation by the AU Commission, no implementation plans have been deemed necessary at this stage. We regard the strategy as a positive development that South Africa should support, given that it also talks to the protection and security of South Africa's own maritime domain. I thank you. [Applause.]