Pretoria, South Africa — As part of their series on learning and knowledge sharing events in support of Private Sector Development, the AfDB's <a target="_blank" href="http://idev.afdb.org/en">Independent Development Evaluation (IDEV)</a>, and Norad's <a target="_blank" href="https://www.norad.no/en/Evaluation">Evaluation Department (NoradDev</a>) are co-organizing a learning event titled: Financing Private Sector Development: What works, what does not and why? in Pretoria, South Africa from 30 to 31 October 2017 to share evaluative knowledge to enhance the relevance, effectiveness, and impact of future private sector development activities in Africa.
Download the event concept note <a target="_blank" href="https://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Generic-Documents/Concept_Note_-_Pretoria_-_South_Africa_30_%E2%80%93_31_October_2017.pdf">here</a>.
Download the provisional agenda <a target="_blank" href="https://www.afdb.org/fileadmin/uploads/afdb/Documents/Generic-Documents/Agenda_Program_-_Pretoria_-_South_Africa_30_%E2%80%93_31_October_2017.pdf">here</a>.
Objectives
The two-day forum will provide an opportunity for participants to discuss what works/what does not/and why, in providing support for private sector development.
Specific objectives are to:
Raise awareness about the existence of evaluations on PSD support;
Share evaluation results with others in a bid to contribute to learning and a rethink of PSD support and how it can be made more effective;
Provide insights that inform policy/decision makers and development partners, while offering clear and evidence-based conclusions and recommendations in terms of a) policy directions enabling African countries to strategically and beneficially partner with private sector actors and development partners; and b) capacity development imperatives; and
Foster networking, peer-learning, and experience sharing.
Structure
The event will feature keynote speeches, presentations, and panel discussions, with sessions for discussions and dialogue on critical issues shaping private sector development in Africa.
Expected Outcomes
The expected outcomes of the event include, but are not limited to:
Increased knowledge on what works and does not work in designing, planning and implementing PSD interventions;
A better grasp of the challenges, trends, and opportunities; and a mutually beneficial approach to promoting private sector growth in Africa;
Deepened engagement with key stakeholders, and new opportunities for learning;
Identification of new ways to leverage private sector development and leap-frog Africa's development;
Key messages on private sector growth and employment creation for African policy makers and development practitioners.
The event is open to private sector actors, government representatives, managers and staff of multilateral agencies, regional & sub-regional development banks, bilateral donors, African institutions, academia, CSOs, and the media.
To register for this event, please contact:
Najade Lindsay - Communication officer, IDEV - <a target="_blank" href="https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/event-financing-private-sector-development-what-works-what-does-not-and-why-17422/">n.lindsay@afdb.org</a>
Aminata Kouma - Communication officer, IDEV - <a target="_blank" href="https://www.afdb.org/en/news-and-events/event-financing-private-sector-development-what-works-what-does-not-and-why-17422/">a.kouma@afdb.org</a>
