Abuja, Nigeria — The African Development Bank is hosting a five-day training program from Monday 18th to Friday 22nd July 2016, to provide Parliamentary Staff with critical skills in policy analysis.
They will also be trained to analyze and synthesize data into policy briefs. This is to position them to prepare briefs which will then be distributed to relevant Parliamentary Committees to inform decision making and advisory functions. Parliamentary Staff across the continent, particularly those that work in Research Departments as well as Finance and Public Accounts Committees are the primary recipients of this training that will help bridge existing gaps.
The training facilitated by AfDB training specialist Mrs. Susan Emiko-Coulibaly from EAD.2 features resource persons from ORPF and OSGE departments and outside the Bank.
At the opening ceremony in Abuja, the Nigeria Country Director represented by Mr. Andoh Mensah, Chief Programme Officer for Nigeria urged participants to share experiences and take on new ideas and techniques to introduce knowledge and best practices acquired to address the problems confronting the African countries they serve. Addressing the participants, he referred to the training as a principal mechanism through which Parliament and its Committees can ensure domestic accountability and consequently influence the governance of public goods and services delivery is through the annual national budget process. In carrying out this very important duty on behalf of citizens, Parliaments need to have access to timely, up-to-date, accurate and well-researched independent information for effective oversight and decision-making.
On a similar note, Mr. Mohammed Kachallah, Ag. DG. For the Directorate of Technical Coopertaion in Africa (DTCA) emphasized that "the era of Parliament and its committees 'going to sleep' and becoming inactive after passage of Budgets is no more. Parliaments and Committees must of necessity participate actively in critical period such as the implementation stage, when they have to watch over the Executive with 'eagle eyes' in order to prevent or at the minimum, minimize waste". He advised the trainees to use this opportunity provided to improve their service delivery to the nation and to Africa at large.
