In 1999, the Foundation's mandate, objectives as well as scope and scale of operation were considerably broadened as a result of the decision of the Board of Governors to integrate a new initiative in capacity building - the Partnership for Capacity Building in Africa (PACT) - into the Foundation. PACT, like ACBF, grew from very extensive consultations between African governments and the donor community. The establishment of ACBF and the broadening of its mandate are therefore the direct result of new insights and a better understanding by the development community of a need for innovative approaches and enhanced interventions in the continent's capacity needs and thus of its development challenges. 

The establishment of the Foundation has afforded African countries a significant opportunity to rethink the effectiveness of external technical assistance vis-à-vis the building of indigenous capacity. The existence of the Foundation has also provided sub-Saharan Africa an opportunity to step up investment and appropriately channel external funding support into the building and sustenance of indigenous capacity. As the new millennium unfolds, Africa's efforts to achieve reasonably stable levels of growth and development, reduce poverty, improve the quality of governance, tackle the HIV/AIDS pandemic, and participate effectively in the rapid pace of globalization will be futile without a strong and sustained program for capacity building. At this stage of Africa's development, support by African governments and their development partners will need to go far beyond simply creating "enclaves" of capacity building interventions to commitments that will make a visible, meaningful, structural and lasting difference. 


ACBF: Achievements and Experiences

Operations

The Foundation completed its pilot phase in December 1996 after five years of operation. During this period, it supported 26 projects in 20 African countries. In 1997 it planned its transition into a second phase, which was launched in 1998 following a successful meeting of the Board of Governors in October - November 1997. The second phase covers the period, 1998 - 2002. By the end of 1999, the total portfolio had grown to 31 active projects in 21 countries. However, with the integration of PACT and its implementation in 2000, the Foundation's portfolio has more than doubled. By the end of 2000, an expanded and highly strengthened ACBF had emerged with the potential to provide effective solution to Africa's core capacity needs.

At the end of 2001, the Foundation had a total portfolio of 67 projects and programs, 26 National Focal Points and 7 seed projects in 37 countries. The projects and programs are classified into Core Public Sector Interventions, Interface Operations, Support for Regional Institutions, and a Special Intervention. The core public sector projects and programs consisted of interventions in economic policy analysis and management (27 projects), economic and financial management training (11 projects), financial management and accountability (4 projects), public administration and management (1 project) and policy analysis capacity of national parliament (3 interventions). The interface operations totaled 11, comprising national economic consultative councils for tripartite negotiations (2 projects), networks of non-governmental organizations for dialogue and policy advocacy (3 projects), public-private sector interface (2 projects), support for corporate governance in the private sector (1 project) and a project to reform the public sector to enable it to support the emergence of a growth-oriented private sector.

At the regional level the portfolio comprised 11 additional operations in support of regional organizations. These were made up of 9 interventions in core public sector areas and 2 interface interventions. The public sector operations support capacity-building activities largely through training, policy analysis and research, exchange programs, internships, in areas such as economic and financial management, trade and international negotiations as well as issues in regional integration.

The portfolio had one special intervention to strengthen capacity for the management and administration of AIDS programs at the community level in order to raise awareness and share lessons of experience and best practices.

In 2002, the Foundation approved 11 new full-fledged interventions, 7 of which were re-financed operations. In addition, it awarded grants to 7 SAFEWIND initiatives. As of 31 December 2002, the Foundation, in addition to the 7 SAFEWIND interventions, had approved a cumulative number of 99 grants, and awarded grants to support the operations of national focal points in a cumulative number of 26 countries. The total number of active full-fledged operations in the Foundation's portfolio stood at 71, as opposed to 67 in 2001.

At the regional level, the portfolio comprised 12 operations in support of regional organizations. These were made up of 10 interventions in core public sector areas and 2 interface interventions.

A Summary of Selected Major Contributions by ACBF Interventions in 2003

• The PRIECA/AO project today represents a respected regional forum in West Africa for business leaders, governments, farmers associations and donors for discussing and planning agricultural policies and programs. The project is at present the technical arm supporting the formulation of agricultural strategies for ECOWAS and NEPAD. It made vital contributions to the Continent's position on the issue of farm subsidies by the G-8 countries at the WTO Meeting in Cancún, Mexico.

• BIDPA, ESRF, KIPPRA, and NEPRU provided inputs that strengthened negotiation missions relating to WTO Meetings in Doha and Cancun.

• The Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Botswana have both signed agreements with BIDPA to engage the Institute in the drafting and provision of economics contents for the President and their Ministers' speeches.

• Policy research outputs by the Ethiopian Economics Association/Ethiopian Research Institute have been copiously cited by the Economist Magazine and carried in World Bank Policy Research Working Papers, as illustrated by WPs 2291 and 2292.

• EPRC was commissioned by the UNDP in conjunction with the Ministry of Finance, Planning and Economic Development to implement a major poverty monitoring project that is designed to contribute vital inputs to the Poverty Eradication Action Plan (PEAP 2003) in Uganda. Two other important studies commissioned through the Centre by the Government were a review and documentation of existing trade and industrialization policies in Uganda and an assessment of the roles of different national stakeholders in the PRSP process. The Centre is a member of the Presidential Economic Advisory Council and the National Planning Authority. It also participates in a number of Government Task Forces.

• IPAR participates in the Stakeholders Consultative Strategy Formulation Task Force on Rural Development (KRDS), supports the work of the Kenyan Constitution Review Commission and facilitates seminars for the Parliamentary Committee of the National Assembly on the National Budget.

• KIPPRA provided inputs for efforts by the Government of Kenya to rationalize the country's participation in multilateral trading arrangements. These inputs also contributed to the country's position at the WTO Meetings in Doha and Cancun. Government officials from Ethiopia and Tanzania have been beneficiaries of KIPPRA courses.

• NEPRU's publication on Namibia Business Climate has become a definitive national guide for private sector investors in the country. The Director of NEPRU is a member of the Namibian National Planning Commission and Chairperson of its Statistical Advisory Committee.

• NIEP's training program in econometrics for historically disadvantaged universities in South Africa now has course materials online at http://saeconometrics.abrc.co.uk The institute provides specialized training for Chairpersons of Portfolio Committees of the National Parliament on Trade, Foreign Affairs, Land and Agriculture. COSATU leadership and NEDLAC Labour Caucus are regular beneficiaries of NIEP training programs.

• PASU serves as the Administrator for the African Union web site. It participates in the AU Working Groups and Committees. The Unit serves as the technical coordinator of AU Panel of Experts, which provides support to the Union on issues relating to trade negotiations at the level of the WTO and the ACP-EU.

• Recent beneficiaries of AERC training programs comprised the Deputy Governor of the Bank of Zambia; Senior Advisor, Bank of Mozambique; Director of Research, Bank of Namibia; and a Senior Official responsible for fiscal policy at the Treasury in South Africa.

• With respect to the Masters Degree in Public Policy and Administration training program at the University of Namibia, recent beneficiaries comprise a Cabinet Minister, a Managing Director, Secretary to the President, several Permanent Secretaries and Deputy Permanent Secretaries.

• SANGOCO which hosted the Civil Society Forum during the WSSD, is a member of UNDP Advisory Panel on the South African Human Development Report, and NEDLAC's financial sector campaign designed to foster greater accountability, transparency and responsiveness to the needs of the poor in the financial services sector in South Africa.

• The NGO Council in Kenya is a member of the National Monitoring and Evaluation Taskforce on Pro-Poor Development Policies in Kenya. The Council has become a forum for consolidating inputs of CSOs for the Economic Recovery Strategy and Program.

• The NGO Council Report on the Recovery of the Kenyan Economy influenced the decision by the government to develop a citizen's development strategy and citizen's budget.

• The Centre for Corporate Governance training programs benefited a critical mass of 1000 directors from the private and public sectors who, with the assistance of the Centre, launched in April 2003 the Kenyan Institute of Directors.

• The Community Action Against HIV/AIDS project in Swaziland has been fully integrated into the national response to the pandemic in the country.DMPA participated in the coordination of the activities relating to the formulation of the PRSP in Zambia.

• BCEAO/BEAC - Pole Dette; MEFMI and WAIFEM have all established themselves as centers of excellence in the building of capacity for debt and financial management.

• RE-CEMAC has succeeded in establishing 4 out of 6 WTO Committees in CEMAC countries.

• EPA serves in Advisory Committees to the Government of Ghana. Some of these are the Presidential Committee on the Promotion and Revitalization of the Industrial Sector, the Presidential Advisory Committee on Public Sector Reform and Monetary Policy Committee of the Central Bank of Ghana. Other committees in which the Centre is present are: Social Statistics Working Group, the Poverty Welfare Working Group, the Trade Working Group, and the Monetary and Fiscal Working Group. CEPA's professional staff serve on the Board of 4 of the country's banks. Of these, they are Board Chairmen in three. One of the professional staff was appointed a Deputy Minister.

• NCEMA serves as a training advisor to the Federal Government of Nigeria in the implementation of the World Bank-supported Economic Management Capacity Building project in Nigeria.