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Dr. Soumana
Sako, ACBF Executive Secretary (center), with
Chairs of ACBF Technical Advisory Panels and
Networks (TAP-NETs) during the first annual
meeting of the TAP-NETs held in Harare, Zimbabwe
on March 25-26, 2004. On his immediate left
were Prof. Sam Olofin, Chair, Economic Policy
Analysis and Management TAP-NET (EPANET), and
Prof. Ato Ghartey, Chair, Financial Management
and Accountability TAP-NET (FIMANET), while
on his immediate right were Prof. John A. Ayoade,
Chair, TAP-NET on Professionalization of the
Voices of Private Sector and Civil Society,
(VOICENET) and Dr. Peter Blunt, Member representing
TAP-NET on Public Administration and Management
(PAMNET). |
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FROM
THE EXECUTIVE SECRETARY
Development
Effectiveness Through Knowledge
Management — Drawing
on ACBF Knowledge Resources
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Recent experience has shown
that the development effectiveness of an institution
in capacity building requires outputs beyond projects
and programs for skills and institutional development.
It is becoming preconditional for such institution
to develop a knowledge management system to support
the capacity building process as well as the sharing
of knowledge and information for strengthening policy
formulation, implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
In essence, a development management process that
is not backed by an effective knowledge management
system is incomplete. Thus, for instance, in the
contemporary global context a comprehensive public
service reform program, desirably, should be accompanied
by a knowledge management system that supports knowledge
and information sharing on replicable practices in
the civil service; civil service lectures; a series
on ideas that have worked; performance measurement
and management systems; documentation and sharing
of memoirs of very successful public service officers;
and systematic documentation of what works and what
does not and the reasons in the areas of development
policies and programs, public service reform programs,
incentives schemes, public service capacity building
programs, reward and recognition programs, among
others.
It is therefore inconceivable that,
given what we know today, a public service reform
program will need to include a comprehensive knowledge
management system as an integral part of that program.
This equally applies to other development efforts
and programs. Not least, capacity building programs.
It is in this context, that I wish to note that the
Foundation’s knowledge management system is
achieving desired results. With a growing list of
beneficiary institutions comprising African policymakers
and development policy management institutions, Harvard
University, the World Bank, the IMF, UNDP, Oxfam,
the Commission for Africa, among others, ACBF knowledge
management products and services are bearing good
fruits. At present, the Foundation’s knowledge
management system supports the following products
and services:
a. Knowledge Networks:
These currently consist of six Technical Advisory
Panels and Networks (TAP-NETs), the African Policy
Institutes Forum (APIF) and three Country Level Knowledge
Networks (CLK-NETs). Membership of the TAP-NETs is
continental and global. The networks provide knowledge-based
products and services to African policymakers and
development management institutions within and outside
the continent. On the membership list are prominent
African and non-African professionals, scholars and
development managers one of whom in 2004 was the
second scholar internationally to win the coveted
Mahalanobis prize in statistics.
| A typical Country Level
Knowledge Network is a network of policy
centers, professionals,
practitioners
and academics formed into a community of practice
that collectively reflects on development issues,
poses questions and proposes solutions that provide
inputs into the country’s development efforts. |
The African Policy Institutes Forum (APIF) was
launched in November 2004 to support knowledge
sharing among all African policy institutes. The
launch witnessed the participation of African ministers
and development managers, the World Bank, the IMF,
the Centre for the Study of African Economies,
sixty African policy institutes, chairs and members
of the TAP-NETs, and members of the diplomatic
community in Zimbabwe, among others. All seven knowledge networks are operational and
are open to consultation by policymakers, development
management institutions and policy practitioners
for knowledge and information sharing, research and
policy analysis support, development policy guidance
and for responses to questions on development policy
issues in the six core competence areas in which
they are operating. At present, the six TAP-NETs
are working on the following issues:
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Documentation/Review of Africa’s
Statistical Systems and Proposals on the Direction
of Reforms based on selected country studies.
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Trade Policy Development
and Negotiations - From Seattle to Post-Doha:
Documentation of Major
Issues
and Proposals on Africa’s Position.
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Public Service Reforms in Africa - Current
Focus, Future Direction and a Guide to Success
Factors/Best
Practices.
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Documentation of On-going Political and Parliamentary
Reforms in Africa - Identification of Encouraging
Practices.
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A Review of Institutional Framework for Addressing
Public Sector Corruption in Africa.
b. Country Level Knowledge Networks (CLK-NETs):
Beside the continental and global
knowledge networks, the Foundation has also launched
a program to develop Country Level Knowledge
Networks (CLK-NETs). These networks are
currently
operational in Burkina Faso, Ghana and
Senegal. The main objective of a CLK-NET is to serve
as a tool for generating, scanning, sharing
and promoting effective utilization of
knowledge
for managing development at the country
level. A typical CLK-NET is a network of policy
centers, professionals, practitioners and
academics formed into a community of practice
that collectively reflects on development
issues, poses questions and proposes solutions
that provide inputs into a country’s
development efforts. Its members therefore
from time to time share information and
knowledge based on their experiences, research
and
interactions from which they develop good
practices as well as policy and program
guides that are of value to the government
and other
development stakeholders.
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c. Operations and Thematic Research:
Through the Foundation’s knowledge management
system, the following research works have been
completed and are available, on request, to policymakers,
development management institutions, development
managers, research and training institutions, libraries,
policy analysts and researchers, among others:
d. Publications Series:
From the Foundation’s publications series,
development managers, policy practitioners, policy
analysts and researchers can have access to the
following books, occasional papers, working papers
and lessons notes:
In addition to the foregoing Occasional and Working
Papers, a number of Lessons Notes in capacity building
and development management are available for consultation
and retention. These consist of the following:
- Improving Project Supervision to Strengthen
Knowledge in Project Management, May 2003
- Strengthening the Role of Civil Society Organizations
in Development, July 2003
- Applying Best-Practice Principles in Procurement,
October 2003
- Strengthening Parliament as an Institution – Some
Recommended Practices, July 2004
- Measuring Performance in Capacity Building:
A Stepping stone through the Marshes, July 2004
The Lessons Notes are available online through
the Foundation’s web site and on request.
The ACBF knowledge management system is at your
disposal. Task us and we will assist you to find
a solution to your knowledge needs within the remit
of our core competencies. As continental communities
of practices for policymakers, the Technical Advisory
Panels and Networks and the African Policy Institutes
Forum will help you access best practices in capacity
building as well as in socio-economic policies
and programs in the six areas of the Foundation’s
core competencies. The operations and thematic
research as well as the publications series are
produced to assist you in identifying practices
that lead to desired outcomes and those that are
avoidable pitfalls in the development process.
We wish to invite you to visit the following web
sites for more information and join our e-mail
alert service for information and access to recent
knowledge products and services:
Web site: |
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TAP-NETs: |
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APIF: |
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Directory of African
Development Management
Professionals: |
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| Email Alert Service: |
root@ACBF-pact.org |
Visit ACBF knowledge warehouse and take advantage
of country level, continental and global
knowledge for the design, implementation, monitoring
and
evaluation of capacity building projects
and programs, as well as for the development
and management of
socio-economic policies and programs
for sustained growth and poverty reduction.
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ACBF
Convenes Second Annual Meeting of Technical Advisory
Panels and Networks in Capacity Building for
Development Management and Poverty Reduction
in Africa:
14 - 15 April 2005
On April 14 - 15, 2005 the African Capacity
Building Foundation (ACBF) will hold the
second Annual meeting of its Technical Advisory
Panels and Networks (TAP-NETs) in Harare,
Zimbabwe.
The Meeting will review on-going position
papers, which focus on:
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Documentation/Review of Africa’s
Statistical Systems and Proposals on
the Direction of Reforms
Based on Selected Country Studies.
-
Trade Policy Development and Negotiations -
From Seattle to Post-Doha: Documentation of
Major Issues and Proposals on Africa’s
Position.
-
Public Service Reforms in Africa - Current
Focus, Future Direction and a Guide
to Success Factors/Best Practices.
-
Documentation of On-going Political and Parliamentary
Reforms inAfrica - Identification of
Encouraging Practices.
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A Review of Institutional Framework for Addressing
Public Sector Corruption in Africa.
Others will focus on how effectively civil
society in Africa is participating in the campaign
for good governance on the continent and the
role it is playing in the NEPAD framework,
as well as criteria and indicators for measuring
the effectiveness of the contribution of civil
society to development management and poverty
reduction in Africa. The meeting will be attended
by African ministers, TAP-NET members, ACBF
partner institutions – the World Bank,
UNDP, UNECA, the EU the Association of African
Universities, among others; members of the
diplomatic community in Zimbabwe; and invited
guests.
The TAP-NETs are global knowledge networks
of competent and experienced professionals,
intellectuals, development practitioners, researchers,
policymakers, civic leaders, captains of industry
and commerce, among others, in the six core
competence areas of the Foundation’s
operation - Economic Policy Analysis and Management;
Financial Management and Accountability; Public
Administration and Management; National Statistics
and Statistical Systems; National Parliaments
and Parliamentary Institutions; and Professionalization
of the Voices of Civil Society and the Private
Sector. Membership of the TAP-NETs is global,
comprising African and non-African experts
who have distinguished themselves professionally
in each of the six core competence areas. Details
about the TAP-NETs are available at http://www.ACBF-pact.org/tapnets
As communities of professionals and practitioners,
the TAP-NETs serve as a pool of experts for
strengthening the effectiveness of ACBF’s
operations. Beyond the Foundation’s immediate
operational needs, the TAP-NETs offer African
countries a resource base from which African
policymakers and development managers seek
information and knowledge on specific development
policy issues; a pool from which to draw and
learn from country cases in development management;
a mechanism for tapping into the skills of
Africans in the Diaspora to make the best use
of the brain drain; and a platform for the
confluence of global experience and best practices
in policies and programs for national and regional
development.
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