Accra, 04 September 2017 (ACBF) – The World Bank and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) have pledged their continued support to the African Capacity Development Foundation as it implements its strategic plan for the next four years.
Representatives of the agencies who spoke today at the opening of the 26th annual meeting of the Board of Governors of the Foundation in Accra, the Ghanaian capital, promised continued support to the Foundation to achieve Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals to see Africa achieve economic development.
The development partners who have been supporting ACBF since its inception 26 years ago expressed satisfaction with the agency’s performance and promised to sustain their support in the years ahead.
We have been with ACBF in the past 26 years and we look forward to 26 more years to develop capacity in the continent, said Henri Kerali, the World Bank’s Country Director for Ghana, Liberia and Serra Leone, in a goodwill message.
Commenting specifically on ACBF’s 2017 - 2021 strategic plan which goes into effect this year, Mr. Kerali said the Bank would continue to lend its support in its implementation, adding that the Bank would stand by the Foundation as it takes the necessary steps in strengthening capacity development in Africa.
Mr. Kerali also congratulated ACBF on its new status as the African Union’s Specialized Agency for Capacity Development, and expressed the hope that the Accra meeting would serve as a “turning point” in the quest to upscale capacity development in the continent.
In a similar vein, UNDP’s representative, Lamin Manneh, acknowledged ACBF’s achievements and said the agency would also continue to play its part in the implementation of the new 2017 – 2021 strategic plan.
“We have paid all our financial contributions to the outgoing strategic plan and we pledge to play our part in the new strategic plan,” said Mr. Manneh, adding that much more resources would be needed for the vision to become a reality.
“You will find in the UNDP a continued strong partner,” he assured, adding that Agenda 2063 and the SDGs would pose serious challenges to the continent without adequate financial support to ACBF.”
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For more information, please contact:
Abel Akara Ticha – Senior Communication Officer
The African Capacity Building Foundation
Harare, Zimbabwe
+263 7+263-4 304663, 304622, 332002, 332014; Ext. 279
Email: A.Ticha@acbf-pact.org
ABOUT the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)
Having spearheaded and robustly coordinated capacity development programs worth over 700 million US dollars across 45 countries and 8 regional economic communities (RECs) in Africa since 1991, ACBF has gathered the requisite experience that makes it the go-to institution for expert knowledge and human resources to advise and support African countries, regional economic communities and institutions on decisive steps to take to develop the practical skills urgently required for the continent’s economic transformation.
Evidence from our cutting-edge work (constituting hundreds of knowledge publications) and the work of several partners show that Africa's development efforts are being hobbled by severe capacity deficits often in the form of shortage of critical skills, deficits in leadership, inhibiting mindsets and weak institutions. The continent’s practical skills shortage is acute in key areas such as Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and Agriculture.
At ACBF, we will continue using our unmatched track record in managing financial facilities for development, our vast knowledge gathering experience thanks to the exceptional skills mix of our core staff as well as our strong strategic partnerships and networks to help countries and institutions identify their capacity needs, advise them on how to plug these capacity weaknesses and on where to find the knowledge and resources to develop the requisite capacity resources, effectively use them and retain them to achieve their short and long-term development objectives.
ACBF’s vision is an Africa capable of achieving its own development.
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