- Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) receives USD 1.6 million grant to support Policy Research and Analysis
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) will on 26 July 2010 sign a USD 1.6 million Grant with the Economic Policy Research Centre (EPRC) in Kampala, Uganda. Created in 1992, EPRC is one of ACBF's longest grantees. When the Foundation was established in 1991, ACBF focused on creating and strengthening policy units, because of the crucial role they played in Africa's economic policy development process.
EPRC is instrumental in Uganda's policy environment, due to its ability to provide relevant, evidence-based research and in-depth analysis for informing policy processes and also its response to development challenges. EPRC is an institution that embodies the lessons learnt by ACBF as an African capacity building institution. The investment, both human and capital, has shown that "patient capital", or long term investment in capacity development interventions is a pre-requisite for success. As EPRC has shown, policy units keep evolving as new challenges in development emerge and therefore they remain strategic, as every sector in any given country needs to develop policies and development plans to address these challenges.
In a statement, prior to the signing ceremony, ACBF Executive Secretary, Dr. Frannie Léautier, said: "The Grant of USD1.6 million over four years will mark the fourth phase of ACBF's assistance to EPRC. EPRC Phase IV will focus on providing technical support to government and other stakeholders in the policymaking, implementation and monitoring processes; strengthening EPRC's institutional capacity to conduct policy- oriented economic research, policy analysis and capacity building programs. Over the last 18 years, EPRC has recorded several successes and played a major role in the development of Uganda's development policies."
The EPRC has made a major contribution to the production of the Uganda Poverty Status Report; the production of a series of analytical reports that have informed the revision of Uganda's Poverty Eradication Action Plan; monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of Uganda's Plan for the Modernization of Agriculture; and operationalising the socio-economic development and benefit sharing component of the Nile Basin Initiative. Eighteen years of operation has also provided both ACBF and EPRC with some lessons learnt. For instance, there is a need to underscore the importance of long term financial sustainability; the effects of over-dependence on donor funding should be recognised; the importance of stable financial resources in order to provide competitive remuneration packages in attracting and retaining highly qualified and experienced researcher is critical, as is the role of effective leadership. These lessons are not only unique to EPRC, but to African policy institutes in general.
Since its inception, the ACBF portfolio has had a total of 27 policy institutes in 21 Africa countries. These include Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Ghana, Kenya, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Namibia, Niger, Senegal, Sao Tome and Principe, Swaziland, Zambia and Zimbabwe. As ACBF celebrates its 20th anniversary on February 9, 2011, policy institutes will continue to remain of prime importance to ACBF's strategy. The increase in capacity for policy institutes to track trends, analyse and raise concerns for policymakers underpins the continued relevance of these development institutions. They play a pivotal role in determining Africa's immediate and future development agendas.
About the African Capacity Building Foundation
ACBF was established in February 1991. It is the outcome of collaborative efforts between African governments and the international donor community. The Foundation's mission is to build sustainable human and institutional capacity for sustainable growth, poverty reduction and good governance in Africa.
