More than 300 people were expected on Thursday, February 8 in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire, to attend the opening of the second edition of the Africa Resilience Forum organised by the African Development Bank on the theme "Building Resilience at the Bottom of the Pyramid."
The main addition of the 2018 edition, which will be held over two days, is the presentation of innovative and relevant solutions that contribute to the Bank's five strategic priorities, known as the High 5s, at a community level. About 15 businesses and start-ups will exhibit their products, which have been tested and are available commercially in the sub-region.
"This presentation will undoubtedly provide added value to our discussions. It will give all participants a very clear idea of the existing solutions that we can mobilise to tackle specific situations of fragility," explained Sibry Tapsoba, Director of the Bank's Transition Support Department.
Security and development challenges in countries in crisis
The work that will be carried out in plenary and parallel sessions will enable participants, including Ministers, representatives of national and international organizations, civil society, universities and the private sector to discuss security and development issues in countries that are in crisis or undergoing transition.
Development partners including the European Union, World Bank, French Development Agency and United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), as well as private-sector actors, such as Standard Chartered Bank, will participate in sessions on various themes.
Cases studies, such as the situation in the Lake Chad region and the Sahel, will be discussed by the Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD) in East Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC).
Participants will also discuss ways to improve assistance for communities, especially for those who are most vulnerable, in order to strengthen resilience. They will focus on sharing knowledge, the impact of exclusion and feedback on intervention experiences in communities, in order to be better prepared for future actions.
As a platform for sharing experiences, the second edition of the African Resilience Forum will help to provide countries and participants with opportunities to establish effective partnerships and debate innovative and sustainable finance mechanisms to boost the resilience of people at the bottom of the pyramid.
It will also make it possible to discuss the role of public policy to support interventions in communities that are fragile.
