Africa
Participants in a communique issued at the end of the 27th annual meeting of board of governors of the African Capacity Building Foundation among other things urge World Bank and other funding partners to intensify support to the foundation
PARTICIPANTS at the 27th annual board of governors meeting of the African Capacity Building Foundation, ACBF, have reaffirmed that capacity development remains a top priority for Africa with a view to unlocking untapped potential particularly among the youth population. The participants, who are mindful of the persistent capacity challenges on the continent, stated this in a communique issued at the end of the two-day meeting which ended on Friday, July 20, in Yaounde, Cameroon.
The communique, which was made available to Realnews on Monday, July 23, stated that participants comprising governors representing member countries, representatives of multilateral and bilateral development partners, observers and special guests, were encouraged by the significant progress made by the ACBF, in particular the success recorded under its Strategic Medium-Term Plan, SMTP, III in unlocking implementation bottlenecks across the continent and the growth of think tanks on the continent with greater impact and capacity for effective engagement.
Other successes recorded by the foundation are the designation of ACBF as a specialised agency of the African Union, affirming its unparalleled position as the go-to partner for supporting capacity building in Africa; improved operational efficiency, impact of interventions, and results-oriented approach in ACBF programmes in implementing the continental agenda; increased engagement with the philanthropic and private sectors in addressing capacity gaps on the continent; and supporting policy research and analysis of key development challenges that need addressing to achieve inclusive and sustainable socio-economic transformation of the continent.
Participants, who were impressed by the alignment of the new business model with the concept of transformation which is currently leading the capacity development agenda on the continent, encouraged ACBF to efficiently and effectively influence this transformation process at continental, regional, and national levels.
Aware that capacity development interventions require patient capital, strategic coordination and synergistic collaboration by all stakeholders, they expressed appreciation to ACBF for the unique opportunity to convene and discuss capacity development challenges on the African continent from a multi-stakeholder perspective.
The communique also acknowledged the increased influence and coordination role of the foundation in light of the strong partnership with the African Union Commission.
The participants undertake to ensure that the foundation continues to lead targeted interventions to support member countries to achieve national and continental agendas on the continent by engaging bilateral, multilateral and non-governmental partners to mobilise the resources needed.
The noted that the launch of the ACBF Strategy 2017-2021 presents an opportunity for critical self-evaluation to assess the impact of capacity development interventions on the continent and identify the tangible actions that need to be taken in order to achieve more impactful results in future engagements and projects.
The communique enjoined the foundation to fully dedicate itself to operationalising the new business model built around the five service lines of resource mobilization services for capacity development in Africa; knowledge services; investments in capacity development and fund management; capacity development advisory services; and innovation in capacity development.
It recognised the potential of the youth to boost the continent’s prospects for inclusive growth and sustainable development; and commended ACBF for taking initiative to unlock the potential of the youth by choosing ‘Youth Employment in Africa: A Focus on Developing the Critical Skills’ as the theme of this year’s board of governors meeting, allowing delegates to reflect on the pressing challenges and explore how to invest in skills that empower youths for employment and entrepreneurship.
The communique reiterated participants deep concern regarding Africa’s youth unemployment challenge and the resulting pressures on migration to other continents for economic opportunities along with the disastrous consequences including loss of lives of young Africans.
The participants called on the foundation, with support of partners, to act in addressing the most urgent development challenges facing youth on the continent. “Attention must be directed to coordinating the documentation and sharing of Africa-wide experiences, innovative solutions and lessons learned in addressing youth unemployment challenges, including in crisis-affected countries,” the communique said.
It reiterated the key messages from the High-Level Forum, highlighting the need for the Foundation to lead, coordinate and set priorities for capacity development initiatives.”
The participants applauded the increased continental ownership of the Foundation, as demonstrated by the increased financial contributions from member countries which indicates the value placed on its interventions in their countries.
They express appreciation to the World Bank for 26 years of strong support to capacity building in Africa through ACBF and urge the bank to continue and indeed intensify this support. They also expressed appreciation to the African Development Bank, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the United Nations Development Programme, the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa and Afreximbank for their continued support for ACBF.
Among other things they reaffirmed the need to secure the long-term sustainability of the foundation and commit to intensifying its resource mobilisation efforts by scaling up and honouring member country contributions to ensure that targets are met, while engaging closely with all funding partners and emerging donors to ensure the foundation is appropriately resourced particularly considering the evolving funding landscape.
- July 23, 2018 @ 8:43 GMT |
