On 9th February, 2011, the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) will mark 20 years of capacity development in Africa. Throughout the year, the Foundation will host a series of learning and knowledge sharing events, aimed at further positioning capacity as an integral part of Africa's development. This year's events follow the High Level Forums conducted in Harare, Accra, Tunis and Paris, last year.
The first event, in Kigali, Rwanda, hosted by HE President Paul Kagame and the Government of the Republic of Rwanda, follows a very well-received address by the Executive Secretary of ACBF, Dr Frannie Léautier in Addis Ababa, to the Ambassadors of African countries accredited to the African Union Commission who form the African Union Commission's Permanent Representative Committee. In this meeting, ACBF Executive Secretary presented the overall state of capacity development in Africa and highlighted the Foundation's upcoming 20th anniversary plans.
In Kigali, Heads of State and Government and senior government officials, global Heads of Development Institutions and development partners, leading academics and thinkers, media and ACBF personnel (past and present) will convene at the Serena Hotel to discuss the theme: The Future of Africa is Now! What role for Capacity?
Contributors on the discussion panels, moderated by expert Chairs, including Dr Donald Kaberuka, AfDB President, Dr Jean Ping, Chairperson of the African Union Commission and Ms. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director of the World Bank, will moderate discussions on various topics, including: Leadership Capacity and the Challenge of Leading Africa; Africa at 50 Aid, Sovereignty and Regional Integration: the Miracle and the Mirage and; Mobilizing Capacity for Post Conflict Reconstruction and Development Emerging Issues and Lessons. In total there are 12 sessions of discussion with question and answer sessions. ACBF will also use this opportunity to be launching the first edition of its flagship publication the African Capacity Indicators report, aimed at bringing to the fore the capacity development agenda in sub-Saharan Africa.
Confirmed Panelists to date include several African Finance Ministers and ACBF Governors, including Hon John Rwangombwa, of Rwanda and Hon Tendai Biti of Zimbabwe. Members of ACBF's Board of Governors and Executive Board, including the respective Board Chairs, Ambassador Sten Rylander and Mr Paul Baloyi, together with ACBF Executive Secretary, will represent the Foundation at the highest level. Other confirmed distinguished panelist include: President John Kufuor, former President of the Republic of Ghana, Ms Obiageli Katryn Ezekwesili, Vice President, Africa Region, World Bank; Mr Vijay S. Makhan, Former Foreign Secretary, Mauritius and Former Commissioner, African Union; Professor Mthuli Ncube, Chief Economist, AfDB; Mr Faustin K. Mbundu, Chairman of East African Business Council, Tanzania; and Mr Tom Cargill, Chatham House.
During the Kigali Summit, invited Heads of State will adopt a Kigali Resolution for Capacity Building in Africa. This will be presented by HE President Paul Kagame, President of the Republic of Rwanda at the next Summit of the African Union Heads of State and Government in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, in June/July 2011. Subsequently, the Resolution will be taken to the international community by Dr Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank Group, as part of Africa's contributions to the Busan, South Korea, Conference on Aid Effectiveness. This conference follows the Accra Conference, at which an Agenda for Action was adopted.
Speaking ahead of the launch of the Kigali Summit, Dr Frannie A Leautier, ACBF Executive Secretary said that 2011 marks a major milestone in the continent's capacity building efforts. "Our 20th anniversary celebrations coincide with the end of the African Union's Decade for Capacity Building in Africa, declared by the Heads of State of Government of the African Union at their Summit in Durban in July 2002. I am honoured to have been invited to address the Malabo Summit of these same stakeholders, in order to spell out the progress achieved and lessons learned during the Decade for Capacity Building in Africa. This is the perfect time to call for further commitment to capacity building over the next 20 years, in order for the continent to transform its economy and become a global player.
Dr Leautier added: "ACBF's 20th birthday presents a unique opportunity for all of us to reflect on the past and focus on the future. In choosing the theme "The Future of Africa is Now! What role for Capacity, ACBF recognises that, as much as Africa has transformed itself over the last two decades, today there are unique opportunities for growth and development, including Africa's demographic profile, rich mineral wealth and agricultural potential. Capacity and innovation are required to realize the continent's full potential."
In 2011, ACBF is launching its new strategy for development, mobilising support at the highest levels of Africa's leadership for its capacity building agenda. Soon after the learning events and Heads of State Summit in Kigali, the Foundation will hold a High Level Symposium in Harare, under the theme "Harnessing our Natural Resources". This symposium, co-hosted by the Government of Zimbabwe, where ACBF is headquartered, will highlight the role of capacity in assisting Africa to realize its full economic potential.
