In the corridors of the Annual Meeting of the AfDB which was held in Lusaka, the silhouette of Zéneb Touré, the African Development Bank Civil Society Engagement Officer, did not pass unnoticed. With her striving conviction, Zéneb has made her mark at the HeadQuarters of Mulungushi Conference Centre in Lusaka. The new venue that welcomed a massive participation of Civil Society Organisations that took the lead. Between two meetings, Zeneb Touré, with no signs of weariness, also passed by the Allafrica table. Raw truths. Exclusive.
There was a massive presence of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) at these Annual Meetings. What explains this?
Participation of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) to the Annual Meetings (AM) of the African Development Bank (AfDB) is institutionalized since the adoption of the Bank's Civil Society Engagement Framework in 2012. Indeed, the Bank made the CSO Forum, an integral activity of the overall program of AM, as well as other institutional event of the Bank. Through the CSO Forum, the Bank reaffirms its commitment to support and cooperate with civil society in order to develop the continent, and identify the appropriate tools for effective engagement with CSOs.
This is a first this year, there was a CSO Forum marked by the presence of the AfDB President, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, what does it translate?
This year CSO Forum of the Annual Meetings in Lusaka was indeed special because it was chaired by the President of the AfDB, Dr. Akinwumi Ayodeji Adesina, which is a first in the history of the Bank! This demonstrates the importance of civil society for the President as key actors to deliver the five strategic priorities of the Bank, namely, the High 5s.
Furthermore, the Bank has adopted a Our new Business Development and delivery Model to be at the core of how we will deliver the High 5s to be closer to its clients that are Regional Member Countries (RMCs) and its people. CSOs constitute the interfaces between the Bank and the beneficiaries of the projects on the ground, they thus become privileged partners for the Bank.
Akinwumi Adesina calls for action, how CSOs have accompanied the ADB in implementing the TOP 5?
As you say, the Bank Group has refocused its activities on five priority areas that will be implemented with the assistance of the private sector and CSOs. AfDB will position CSOs in the heart of the High 5s. The current context of the Bank depends on the overall context of a new vision of the role and contributions of civil society in the inclusive growth, poverty reduction and the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. Also, the perception that civil society is a full actor of development is improving in RMCs, even it’s varying from country to country, and it will further strengthen in the context of the implementation of the Agenda 2030 and the Top 5. All of which stress the importance of engaging citizen groups as development partners.
The Bank Strategies and programs must reflect this new development paradigm that the challenges of the development of Africa can only be resolved through a tripartite collaborative effort: Government - Private Sector - Civil Society.
It is therefore imperative that we work differently strengthening our partnership mechanisms with civil society. Engagement and current policies of collaboration with CSOs, even if relevant, must be strengthened to add greater value to the partnership which must be more systematic in our processes, but especially in our operations. Civil society organisations should thus be at the Heart of the High 5s in the future, this mean to play a key role in enabling the Bank to achieve more and better results and achieve its ambition of transforming Africa.
CSOs at the heart of the High 5s was also the main objective of the 2016 CSO Forum: Structuring a high-level dialogue between civil society and senior management concerning the strategic direction that the Bank wishes to give to the three priority areas of the High 5s, namely: energy, agriculture and employment for young people. We came out of this forum with roadmaps on how CSOs will accompany the Bank for deliver each of the 3 priorities: Energy, Agriculture, and Jobs for Youth.
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What is the balance of the participation of CSOs in its Annual Meetings?
Unpretentious and modestly, the outcome of the participation of CSOs in AM was a real and total success! CSOs participated as every year the AM as observers and have therefore been able to participate in all sessions of AM. They have made their contributions in high-level discussions on the various topics covered during the AM.
The CSO Forum this year which aimed to initiate a dialogue with civil society on three priority areas: energy, agriculture and employment for young people, was a great success! The Forum has indeed resulted in a set of points of agreement on the areas of collaboration between the Bank and CSOs. In addition, the forum has established a database of specialized CSOs in three key sectors, from their comparative advantages and their technical expertise and technology.
