The Annual Meeting of ACBF Technical Advisory Panels and Networks
(TAP-NETs)
March 25-26, 2004 - Harare, Zimbabwe

The first Annual Meeting of all six TAP-NETs was held on March 25-26, 2004 in Harare. A total of 70 participants attended the meeting. These consisted of 47 TAP-NETs members, the Minister for Special Affairs in Charge of Anti-Corruption and Anti-Monopolies in the President’s Office in Zimbabwe; the Governor of the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe; the Clerk of Parliament of Zimbabwe; members of the Diplomatic Corps in Zimbabwe, among whom were: the Ambassadors for Canada, Ghana and Norway, Deputy Ambassadors for Malawi, Namibia and Zambia; as well as Minister-Counselor for the Embassies of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria. Other participants were the Vice Chancellor of Africa University, Mutare, Zimbabwe; UNDP Deputy Resident Representative and a number of invited guests who included Heads of Departments of Economics and Political Science at the University of Zimbabwe and the Director of Central Statistical Office, Zimbabwe.

The meeting discussed operations-related working papers, which provided Guidelines for the Establishment of an African Economic and Financial Policymakers’ Knowledge Network that the Secretariat plans to launch in June 2004; reviewed “Frameworks and Indicators for Performance Measurement in Public Service Delivery”; discussed Lessons of Experience in Program Development based on a commissioned Indian Case Study in the Design of National Capacity Building Program for Poverty Reduction; and outlined Frameworks and Strategies for Addressing Public Sector Corruption in Africa, as well as Mechanisms for Building Effective Partnership Among Stakeholders in National Economic Management. The Ministers for Finance and Economic Development as well as for Public Service, Labor and Social Service in Zimbabwe who had earlier confirmed participation were unable attended due to unexpected developments. Both Ministries were however represented by senior officials.

The Annual Meeting launched the activities of the TAP-NETs for the year and provided an opportunity for senior policymakers, ACBF donor constituency and the academic community to be apprised of the knowledge products and services of the TAP-NETs and to explore strategies by which finance and economic ministries, development management organizations and the academic community can draw on the benefits of the Foundation’s knowledge management system. The Meeting also provided visibility for the TAP-NETs and the Foundation’s knowledge products and services within the donor and development community represented by the Ambassadors of African and ACBF-donor countries, as well as by resident representatives of development agencies represented in Zimbabwe. The Minister of Special Affairs for Anti-Corruption and Anti-Monopolies, the Governor of the Reserve Bank, the Ambassadors, like other senior policymakers who participated in the Meeting expressed a strong conviction that the TAP-NETs are vital knowledge networks that will offer the continent easy access to best practices in capacity building, as well as in the management of social and economic policies and programs.