The Africa Legal Support Facility (ALSF) welcomed the announcement from the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group Board of the release of US $22 million to support legal advisory and capacity building initiatives in fragile states under the African Development Fund window.

"Strengthened institutions are a catalyst for strong resilient governments," said the ALSF Director, Stephen Karangizi. "We recognize that there is a great need in the extractive sector for countries in fragile situation to anchor governance related standards as well as incorporate the broader questions of technical capacity as a facilitator of good resource governance."

The ALSF's support to countries in fragile situations is anchored by its Medium Term Strategy and will be focused on providing technical assistance aimed at strengthening legal expertise in areas such as vulture fund litigation. It also focuses on advisory services complemented by capacity-building interventions for transition states.

The funding support will see the ALSF and the AfDB's Transitional Support Department (ORTS) work together to identify areas and points of collaboration.

"This joint initiative provides us with an opportunity to effectively deliver support required by our Regional Member Countries (RMCs)," said the ORTS Director, Sibry Tapsoba. "Through regular coordination of institutional work programs and activities, we are in a position to achieve high efficiency and impact to address the challenge of fragility on the continent," he added.

The overarching goal of the ALSF is to help maximize resources available for the economic development and social progress in RMCs, particularly those facing fragility.

Similarly, the AfDB's strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience in Africa aims at maximizing the Bank's Group contribution to building resilience, stabilities and capabilities in regional member countries.

This mutual objective of the institutions in addressing fragility serves as the strong basis for cooperation.