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New Year Message

31 Dec, 2014

The outbreak of the Ebola virus in 2014 fully demonstrated that, despite the significant progress it has made over the past two decades with the support of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), Africa still face serious human, institutional and societal capacity constraints.

The Ebola crisis has of course seen the continent attracting a significant wave of sympathy and support from within and outside, for which Africa ought to be most grateful. Continued international solidarity will certainly help eradicate the Ebola epidemic. The more and the better coordinated the better. What the international solidarity cannot and will not do is to prepare Africa to face future crises resulting from health emergencies, natural disasters, etc.

Only a sustained investment in capacity development will enable Africa to prevent, anticipate or manage such crises. An effective capacity for crisis management is indeed an integral part of the continent's sustainable development.

During the past 24 years, ACBF has successfully supported the continent in building capacity for the formulation and management of economic policies and assisted the continent in achieving strengthened public administration, transparent and accountable financial management, statistical development, effective oversight of governmental management by Parliaments and improved participation of civil society and private sector in the policy-making process. ACBF was able to make such an effective contribution thanks to the tremendous support of its African and non-African member countries and its  multilateral partners (the World Bank, the African Development Bank and the United Nations Development Programme).

In 2015, ACBF will continue leading the continent's capacity development efforts, building on its strategic partnerships with the major pan-African and sub-regional institutions among which the African Union, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the African Development Bank, the New Partnership for Africa's Development and the Regional Economic Communities.  Likewise, the Foundation will consolidate its strategic partnership with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector organizations.  Among its key activities for 2015, ACBF will assemble all these partners and many more, including policy-makers, the academia, civil society and the private sector at its third Pan-African Capacity Development Forum to be held during the first week of September 2015, with the goal of reflecting on the capacity development imperatives of Africa's economic transformation. Meanwhile, the Foundation will continue to support the African Union Commission and African countries in their effort to address their capacity challenges, in particular, in articulating the capacity dimensions of the African Union's Agenda 2063 and in its integration into national development plans.  Addressing capacity challenges in countries affected by conflict will constitute a major focus of the Foundation's work in 2015.

With your support, ACBF will continue to move the frontiers of Africa's capacity forward for a sustainable and inclusive development. It is with this determination that I wish a Happy, Peaceful and Prosperous 2015 to Africa and the Friends of Africa's development.

Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie

Executive Secretary 

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Thomas Kwesi Quartey

ACBF has been granted the status of a specialized agency because of the potential to transform Africa through capacity development.


H.E. Thomas Kwesi Quartey, Deputy Chairperson, AU Commission
Erastus Mwencha

The recognition of ACBF as the African Union’s Specialized Agency for Capacity Development launches the beginning of a new era for capacity building by ACBF, which will require an appropriate level of political commitment and financial support from all stakeholders.


H.E. Erastus Mwencha, Chair, ACBF Executive Board
Lamin Momodou

The remarkable achievements ACBF has registered over the past 26 years is not by accident in our opinion. They have come through hard work, dedication, commitment, purposeful leadership, support from the member countries as well as productive partnership building.


Mr. Lamin Momodou MANNEH, Director, UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa
Goodall Gondwe

Africa needs ACBF as much, probably more now, than at the time it was created in 1991.


Hon. Goodall Gondwe, former Chair of the ACBF Board of Governors and Minister of Finance – Malawi
Ken Ofori Atta

Ghana’s partnership with ACBF is a tremendous blessing for us and therefore the opportunity for Ghana to host the 26th ACBF Board of Governors Meeting is something that we treasure.


Hon Ken Ofori Atta, Chair of the ACBF Board of Governors and Minister of Finance - Ghana
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