Home | Media | News | 32 years of capacity building in Africa…

32 years of capacity building in Africa…

Harare, Zimbabwe
09 Feb, 2023

(9 February 2023, Harare) Today, the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), celebrates 32 years of capacity building in Africa. The Foundation was established in 1991 to address Africa’s severe capacity gaps. Since inception ACBF has gained a robust track record which solidifies its position as the premier partner for capacity development on the continent. The Foundation contributes to Africa’s development process through human capital development, institution building and knowledge sharing.

ACBF’s focus is on human capital development and institution building to address current and future development challenges.  While it provides services to all sectors; public, private, civil society and academia, to name a few, ACBF pays attention to improving the effectiveness of Africa’s public sector institutions at country, regional and continental levels to become effective systems’ integrators and catalysers of sustainable and transformative change.

To date, ACBF has supported over 70 higher education institutions, including universities across all sub-Saharan Africa regions, to reform curriculums that address the economic requirements of their countries and equipped universities with libraries which enabled students to carry out research online. The Foundation has trained more than 50,000 personnel in civil service, most of which hold key positions in Ministries of Finance, Planning or Economic Development and Central Banks across the continent.

ACBF has also established a network of over 35 think thanks that support evidence-based policy making across Africa and produce critical policy research/analysis which inform economic management and help establish benchmarks for success.

As a thought-leader, ACBF has generated over 500 knowledge products in the forms of research, studies, and publications covering over 200 development topics.

The Foundation is launching a new five-year strategy (2023-2027) which will focus on human capacity development and institution building in four impact areas, which are Climate Change & Energy, Economic Governance, Agribusiness & Food Security, and Trade as an engine of growth.

In line with the new Strategy, ACBF will offer two signature products which support institutional building and human capacity development. The Institutional Accelerator Model (IAM) will offer a unique package of interventions to assist with institutional development. The package will include a range of tools such as organizational restructuring advisory, embedded advisory, technical assistance, leadership development, management and team building support. On the other hand, ACBF’s Africa Capacity Building Academy (ACBA) will focus on developing the hard and soft skills of target officials in the public sector, civil society, think tanks and the private sector. This will be done through delivery of short courses, training, coaching, and mentoring.

The Foundation has grown its membership from 12 African countries to 40 since inception. Its institutional members currently stand at four, being, the African Development Bank (AfDB), African Union, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and the World Bank.

In January 2017, ACBF was granted specialised agency status for capacity development by the African Union, because of its work on the continent. ACBF remains resolute in its mission to develop the human capital and build the institutions required, primarily in the public sector, to create the enabling environment for an inclusive and sustainable development in Africa.

------------------------------------ENDS---------------------------------------

For further information,

Contact: Tsitsi Chakonza on t.chakonza@acbf-pact.org

 

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
1
2
3
4
5
X