Ghana Reiterates Support for Capacity Development in Africa, Applauds ACBF

Thu, Apr 27, 2017 | By publisher


Politics


MAHAMUDU Bawumia, Ghana’s vice president, has underscored the centrality of capacity development in the transformation of Africa, praising the African Capacity Building Foundation, ACBF, for delivering on its mandate to offer topnotch technical and knowledge support to African countries and institutions to leverage the continent’s sustainable development.

Bawumia made his remarks during a recent audience he granted Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie, executive secretary of the Foundation  in Accra, the city that hosts the West and Central Africa regional office of ACBF.

Describing the ACBF as “a well-known Pan-African Institution that has made huge achievements through its capacity development investments on the continent,” the Ghanaian vice president said the development of Africa’s institutional and human capacity to deliver on the continent’s development goals was of utmost importance.

Hence, he noted, it was urgent for member States of the ACBF to fulfill their pledges towards meeting all the financial needs of the Foundation’s new Strategic Plan, in order for it to continue with its indispensable mandate.

“My country will therefore play a leading role in promoting the Foundation’s activities which are key in spearheading Africa’s development,” he said.

It was a reassured executive secretary of the ACBF who thanked the Ghanaian leadership for the country’s pledge to the Foundation’s previous strategic plans and its commitment to ACBF’s current Strategic Plan for 2017-2021, built on the following four strategic pillars: enabling the effective delivery of continental development priorities, supporting countries to achieve tangible development results, enhancing private sector and civil society contributions to sustainable development, and leveraging knowledge and learning to increase development effectiveness in Africa.

Nnadozie stated that the total value of financial contributions towards the delivery of the Foundation’s programme by member states reached 20 percent of the required funding for ACBF during the 2012-2016 strategic period but that “such contributions continue to be decisive as they demonstrate Member States’ commitments and contribute in leveraging resources from other donors.”

“ACBF’s request for Member States to honor their pledges, is also clearly in line with our new approach of going beyond making investments on capacity development in the form of grants, to providing more strategic services to member States, such as providing capacity development services and www.acbf-pact.org p.2/3 undertaking joint resource-mobilization for capacity development activities, which would result in more beneficial and more sustainable ways of enhancing development at this critical time,” he added.

ACBF is supporting some of the key institutions in Ghana to leverage capacity for the country’s development. These include: the Centre for Policy Analysis, CEPA, Ghana Economic Policy Analysis and Research Institute, GEPARI, the Institute for Statistical, Social and Economic Research, ISSER, based in the University of Ghana and the Institute for Democratic Governance, IDEG.

The support is targeted at enhancing both technical and institutional capacities for the organisations. The country has also benefitted from ACBF’s support to regional projects such as the African Women Development Fund, AWDF, the West African Monetary Institute, WAMI, the Public Sector Management Training Program, PSMTP, based at the Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration, GIMPA; and the Economic Policy Management Training program based at the Department of Economics, University of Ghana.

Prof. Nnadozie’s Ghana visit follows his recent call on the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, president of Liberia, who also made a strong commitment to champion the cause for supporting the ACBF in its critical work on helping Africa to achieve its continental and country-specific priorities for economic development through a robust overhaul of its capacity for development.

He will continue to engage other African leaders for their commitment to capacity development on the continent in general and in their respective countries in particular.

—  Apr 27, 2017 @ 16:00 GMT


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