Yaounde, 23 Feb. 2018 (ECA) - Several mid and senior level officials serving across a broad range of ministerial departments in Cameroon have been reviewing their approach in domesticating the UN's Agenda 2030 and the African Union's Agenda 2063 - two complementary international development frameworks, thanks to new knowledge and perspectives acquired from a recent workshop co-organized by the Government of Cameroon and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA).
Many of the over 40 participants at the Yaounde-held workshop on 'a harmonized approach toward the integration of Agenda 2063 for Sustainable Development and Agenda 2063 into national development plans,' have hailed ECA for the initiative, describing as 'revolutionary' the Commission's integrated modelling software for economic policy planning and monitoring, which will be adapted for the purposes of integrating both agendas in Cameroon's development planning and results review processes. Cameroon is among 5 countries across Africa to benefit from the rollout of the initiative to help Governments clearly appropriate and integrate both development agendas in their national planning and implementation processes.
Seventeen (17) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) form the crux of the UN's Sustainable Development Agenda (Agenda 2030) established to succeed eight (08) Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) at the end of 2015, while seven (07) broad-based aspirations were identified by African heads of State in 2013 as the development framework for 'the Africa we want,' by the time the African Union (formerly the Organization of African Unity) attains its centenary in 2063. Among other things, both agendas intersect on the principles of the eradication of poverty, inclusive growth, industrialization, the creation of decent jobs and infrastructure development. It is therefore worthwhile for African member States which have all adhered to both agendas to have integrated frameworks for operationalizing national policy plans based on the two agendas and monitoring results across sectors - which was the overarching objective of the Yaounde workshop.
« We welcome this great initiative of ECA to help us harmonize our development planning aligned to both Agenda 2030 and 2063, most especially the modelling software that will help us elaborate both policy conceptual and planning frameworks » said Mr Tanang Patrice of the Monitoring Division of Cameroon's Ministry of Finance.
To Ms MBOLE ESSIANE Annie who heads the Information Systems, Networks and Statistics division of Cameroon's Ministry of Justice, the approach from ECA based on integrating national policy planning and monitoring tools on both development agendas lends efficiency to efforts that where already underway (though in more dispersed ways), between her Ministry and the country's National Institute of Statistics, on planning policy initiatives and monitoring results.
« ECA has furnished us with fresh perspectives on linking our pursuit on achieving the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals and the African Union's Agenda 2063 together and I think once the modelling application is fully operational for this purpose, it twill greatly benefit African countries,» added Dr Ibrahim Abba who heads the Research, Planning and Cooperation Division of Cameroon's Ministry of Employment and Vocational Training.
The Cameroonian planners say they are also taking away much from a policy modelling session part of the workshop, which focused on assessing various policy options to identify the impact of investing in different sectors on their country's overall economic fabric, using causal loop diagrams. This approach enables planners, not only to be expedient in prioritizing the allocation of resources across sectors but also to clearly see how decisions/actions taken in various sectors would interplay with one another to produce wholesome developmental results.
According to the Director of the Sub-regional Office for Central Africa of ECA - Mr Antonio Pedro - the Commission places emphasis on operationalizing the two development agendas with its member States in the sub-region and beyond, because each of the agendas is hinged on sustainability. He further maintains that « ECA is determined to henceforth pursue a very practical approach to development, with more and more efforts on finding SOLUTIONS on the HOW question to development. »
Meanwhile the Director General of the Economy in Cameroon's Ministry of the Economy, Planning and Regional Development - Mr Isaac Tamba - says his ministry welcomes ECA's new approach and its strong working relations with the Government of Cameroon, adding that « this partnership is very important for us to rapidly progress in the attainment of targets and objectives of international, regional and national development frameworks.»
