Government Ministers, Development Partners and Thought Leaders to Discuss Africa's Capacity Indicators; Africa's Position on Aid Effectiveness; and Tackling the Continent's Youth Employment Challenges.
From 7 to 9 September 2011, delegates will convene in Arusha, Tanzania for the fifth High Level Forum of the African Capacity Building Foundation. The Forum will take place ahead of the 20th Annual Meeting of the ACBF Board of Governors, hosted by Hon. Mustafa Haidi Mkulo, Minister of Finance of Tanzania. The Board of Governors meeting will be officially openedby H.E. JakayaKikwete, President of the United Republic of Tanzania, on Thursday, 8th September.
ACBF's Board of Governors is comprised ofAfricanMinisters of Finance and Economic Planning, major bilateral donors from ACBF member countries and senior representatives from key multilateral institutions, including the World Bank,the African Development Bank and the United Nations Development Progamme.
The High Level Forum in Tanzania comes as Africa prepares its strategic position, ahead of the forthcoming global conference on Aid Effectiveness in Busan, South Korea, in November. Capacity developmentis expected to be one of the key features of the Busan Summit as it is now evident to all stakeholders that development results cannot be achieved without sustainable capacity. Following the African Union Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, which was preceded by a regional consultation of North and West African countries in Mauritania, delegates in Arusha will also take on the issue of youth unemployment in Africa and the role of capacity development in addressing these challenges.
The discussion, on Wednesday, 7th September, will focus on the theme:"Addressing Africa's Youth Unemployment Challenge-What Next Steps Required?"and discussants will includeH.E. ZeineOuldZeidane, former Prime Minister, Republic of Mauritania and Hon. Marcel de Souza,Minister of EconomicDevelopment and Planning, Republic of Benin, as key panelists.
The session on "The Africa Capacity Indicators Report Implications for Busan 2011"will be moderated by Mr Victor Murinde, Director, African Development Institute at the African Development Bank.
Panelists will include, Ms Sue Szabo, Director, Social Economic Policy (SEP), IIDRC, Canada; MrDeryck Brown, Senior Governance Specialist (Africa Region) World Bank, Washington, DC and Mr George Kararach, Knowledge Expert, African Capacity Building Foundation.
Capacity is a topical issue and one of the central themes to be discussed at the High Level Forum in Busan, in particular how to forge a south south consensus on effective approaches to capacity development. ACBF is already a key member of an African partnership, which includes the African Union and its specialized agency NEPAD, in developing an African position, recognising the need for a stronger Southern voice on this issue. Over the past two years, ACBF has also joined a partnership with the OECD, the Learning Network on Capacity Development (LenCD) and a nascent Southern political advocacy group, CD Alliance, to work on highlighting priority areas for capacity development. ACBF also participated in a conference jointly organized by the Ministry of Commerce of the Peoples Republic of China and the World Bank in Beijing in August this year, tackling the subject of capacity develooment and the lessons learned from international practice.
Speaking ahead of the round table discussion in Tanzania, ACBF Executive Secretary, Dr Frannie Léautier, said that the main objective was to provide a platform for discussion and exchange of information, knowledge and experiences on aid coordination and aid effectiveness in Africa. She said that she hoped that this pre-Busan dialogue, together with ACBF's African Capacity Indicators Report launched in Kigali and Benin (in English and French) would improve the design and implementation of interventions to improve overall development outcomes and results.
"This round table discussion aims to increase the awareness of state and non-state actors of the various dimensions of aid effectiveness, so that they can be fully considered in the design of interventions. By bringing together technical experts and decision makers concerned with the problem of aid coordination, we hope to facilitate the exchange of lessons and experiences, while at the same time improving our understanding of the capacity needs associated with coordination and effectiveness of aid. Our ultimate goal is to develop and strengthen strategic partnerships to support capacity development initiatives and to continue funding more relevant interventions" she said, adding that "International aid business systems need to be more in line with capacity development principles. We need more collaborative strategic planning and results measurement, with enhanced flexibility in project implementation, resource allocation and an overall reduction in agency fragmentation".
The other round table discussion, in French, on youth employment will include former decision makers in government, agencies responsible for job creation and youth employment, development partners, academics and researchers, think-tanks, the Foundation's Board of Governors and representatives from civil society and the media. ACBF is convening this post-Malabo meeting, taking into consideration the dynamics and causes of youth unemployment in Africa are complex and multi-dimensional. Through dialogue and research, the Foundation has also recognised the need for African countries to develop qualified and competent human resources, capable of adapting to dynamic changes required to make African economies more competitive.
Dr Léautier highlighted the challenges associated with developing the capacity to formulate and implement policies to promote employment, particularly self-employment and to improve the functioning of labor marketinstitutions, saying that in order to address these difficulties, ACBF plans to increase its support to public administration and research institutions in order to strengthen their capacity to formulate and implement policies that promote human development and improve the linkage between the private sector, education systems, and the job market for effective employment creation and economic growth.
In the area of higher education, she said that ACBF will strengthen its partnerships with universities and institutions of higher learning to support initiatives to provide education that is better adapted to the needs of the labor market.
About the African Capacity Building Foundation
ACBF was established in February 1991. It is the outcome of collaboration between African governments and the international donor community. Its mission is to build sustainable human and institutional capacity for sustainable growth and poverty eradicationin Africa. ACBF's vision is for Africa to be recognized for its socio-political and economic capabilities and endowments – a continent with effective institutions and policies acquired through sustained investment in people and institutions. The Foundation aims to become a leader, major partner, and centre of excellence for capacity building in Africa. The current membership of ACBF comprises 35 African countries, 10 non-African countries, the WorldBank, the African Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and the International Monetary Fund. The African Union currently serves as an Honorary Member of the ACBF Board of Governors.
For further information on ACBF, please contact:
African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)
PO Box 1562, Harare
ZIMBABWE
Tel: + 263 4 700208/210
