The Board of the African Development Bank approved on Wednesday, October 3, the Bank's Framework for Enhanced Civil Society Organization (CSO) Engagement. This Framework is designed to better structure the AfDB's broader and deeper engagement with CSOs both at the corporate, regional/country and project levels, through three dimensions: outreach, dialogue and partnership.

This enhanced CSO Framework is designed to strengthen and renew the existing mechanisms of participation and coordination by setting out specific activities for each dimension at each level in order to achieve greater development results in the Regional Member Countries.

The Framework came up after a large participatory approach including key consultations with the representatives of diverse African civil society entities. Those consultations were continued during the Bank's Annual Meetings in May 2012 in Arusha, Tanzania. The Framework will be implemented in a progressive and sustainable way, building on results achieved.

"This is an important step achieved by the Bank in its traditional cooperation with these major actors in Africa," said Ms. Ginette-Ursule Yoman, Division Manager, Gender and Social Development Monitoring Division, AfDB. "The Enhanced Framework sets up a vision perfectly in line with the Bank's Long-Term Strategy for an inclusive growth on the continent, and identifies clear ways to achieve it through a strong cooperation with civil society organizations."