“The AUC Chairperson calls on African Member States to Implement the Capacity Development Program for agenda 2063, developed by ACBF”

The Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Her Excellency, Dr. Nkosazana Dhlamini Zuma, called on African member states to implement the Capacity development framework developed by the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) in support of the implementation of Agenda 2063. She made the call at the Official opening of the 5^th Ministerial Retreat of the Executive Council of the African Union, in Addis Ababa. She further called on Africa to take forward the recommendations from the various studies undertaken by the ACBF on the capacity imperatives for Agenda 2063, as they are critical to the realization of the Continent’s Vision. Dr. Zuma’s call underscores the message delivered to the same body last year by the Executive Secretary of ACBF, Professor Emmanuel Nnadozie, on the need to accelerate the development, retention and full utilization of the critical technical skills needed for Africa’s industrialization.

The ACBF conducted three studies as part of its technical support to the AU and the implementation process of Agenda 2063 which are the Capacity needs assessment for Agenda 2063, Capacity development framework for Agenda 2063, and an Assessment of the Internal and External Risks Associated with the Implementation of the AU Agenda 2063. These studies clearly lay out the capacity gaps that exist in the continent, the technical skills capacity gaps, possible risks associated with agenda 2063 and also provides possible mitigation measures. The reports provide a rich source of information for Member states on the required investments for building the necessary capacities, essential for effective implementation of Africa’s transformation Agenda.

She further highlighted the centrality of capacity development in rebuilding the planning and implementation capacity in African countries as well as the institutional capacities lost during the decades of structural adjustments.

During the same session, H.E. Mr. Moussa Faki Mahamat, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Chad called on African Member states to strengthen Human resources as a key step to the realization of Commodity based industrialization, proposed in the draft Commodity Strategy that will be tabled before the Council.

The two-day Retreat brought together major stakeholders responsible for the implementation of Agenda 2063; Member States, RECs, AU Organs, AfDB, ACBF, UNECA and the NPCA.