Johannesburg — The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in collaboration with the Development Bank of Southern Africa (DBSA) hosted an inaugural consultative conference for partnership between the Foundation, Private Sector and Public Sector in South Africa.
The African Capacity Building Foundation is a leading development institution in Africa, which was established in February 1991. Its mission is to build sustainable human and institutional capacity for sustainable growth, poverty reduction and good governance in Africa. ACBF is the outcome of collaborative efforts between African governments and the international donor community.
This is the first consultative forum of this nature for ACBF and is a result of the demands for more private sector ownership of capacity development interventions in Africa. During the forum, the ACBF brought together key stakeholders wishing to enhance their capacity to maximise Africa's resources effectively for the transformation of the continent's economies. The African Capacity Building Foundation recognizes that the private sector is the economic engine for growth and that it plays an integral part in mobilizing both the human and financial resources in order to reduce poverty.
The key objectives of the consultation were, among others, to create awareness about ACBF's mission among South Africa's private and public sector players and to further engage the private sector in developing capacity in Africa. As ACBF implements its new strategy and celebrates twenty years of existence, the private sector will be a key partner in leveraging and supporting sustainable capacity building interventions. The conference was addressed by the Minister of Public Service and Administration (DPSA), Mr Richard Baloyi, on "Capacity Building Policy Framework for Collaboration with the Private Sector in South Africa".
Speaking at the consultative forum, the new Chair of the ACBF Executive Board and DBSA CEO, Mr Paul Baloyi said: "In order for the country to move towards efficient and effective public service delivery, the resources, talents, technology and innovation of the private sector will need to be unleashed so that it becomes a more significant engine of growth for the economy".
In her address to the delegates, Dr Frannie Leautier, ACBF Executive Secretary, reiterated this message, saying: "During its 20 years of existence, ACBF has learned that capacity building is a long term process that requires first and foremost that ideas for capacity are owned by the countries and entities implementing them. Successful outcomes are achieved only because champions of change have made available patient capital and because programs for support embed flexibility in their design. In these types of interventions stakeholders focus on learning from experiments and sharing successful ideas from pilots and tracking results is critical. In carrying out its mission, ACBF works with a range of stakeholders, such as departments and ministries within governments, national and regional entities responsible for development policy and implementation, private sector associations and networks, universities and training institutions and civil society organizations. This multi-sectoral approach to partnerships has enabled our Foundation to discover and develop innovative ways of building capacity, including within difficult operating environments such as fragile states."
Key decision makers in leading private and public sector institutions attended the consultative forum, which will be used as a platform for building stronger partnerships with the private sector in order to spearhead socio-economic development in South Africa and in the rest of Sub-Saharan Africa. As ACBF seeks to establish offices within South Africa in 2011, the Foundation will engaging in a dialogue across the continent in order to better understand the role that private and public Sector should play in supporting socio-economic development in Africa.
EDITORIAL CONTACTS
Development Bank of Southern Africa
Development Fund: Communication and Marketing Manager
Ms Nonnie Letsholo
Tel: 27(0) 11 313 3437
NonnieL@dbsa.org
or
fikiler@dbsa.org
African Capacity Building Foundation
Head, External Affairs & Communications
Ms. Audrey Mpunzwana
Tel: +263 4 700208
a.mpunzwana@acbf-pact.org
or
r.kambarami@acbf-pact.org
