The African Development Bank (AfDB) will organize from 28 to 30 November 2016 a regional consultations meeting with Southern African Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) in Johannesburg., The meeting will be the third of a series of five regional consultations with African civil society organizations after the ones organized for West Africa in Dakar from 31 August to 2 September 2016, and for Central Africa in Yaoundé from 28-30 September 2016.

The meetings with regional CSOs aims to strengthen mechanisms and grassroots support in the implementation of the Bank's High 5s priorities (Light up and power Africa, Feed Africa, Industrialise Africa, Integrate Africa, and improve the quality of life for the people of Africa) over the next ten years.

Through the consultations, the Bank is strengthening dialogue with CSOs on three priority areas: energy-climate change, agriculture and jobs for the youth. At the end of the process, a roadmap will be elaborated by sub-region to serve as a basis for the Bank's Civil Society Engagement Action Plan to set up the structure of the enhanced partnership to deliver the High 5s.

The regional consultations are the materialization of the commitment the Bank made at the CSO Forum held in May 2016 in Lusaka, Zambia during its Annual Meetings. The commitment was to organize five regional consultations workshops across the continent. The workshops are designed to ensure that the Bank's collaboration with CSOs can help deliver the High 5s; and to define and identify for each of the three priority areas, contextual actions where CSOs can contribute to deliver the Bank's development agenda. The consultations will also help to raise awareness and reach consensus on the implementation modalities.

After Southern Africa, the East Africa consultations will take place in Nairobi, Kenya on 7, 8 and 9 December, while the North Africa segment will be organized in Tunis, Tunisia from 14 to 16 December 2016.