SMTP II is being drawn up in the context of the Millennium Development Goals, which place before the continent a monumental challenge to deliver development results by 2015. As against the current average growth rate of about 3.5% per annum, Africa needs a sustained growth rate in excess of 7% per annum to halve absolute poverty by 2015. The plan is also being developed in the context of the 2002-2011 Capacity Building Decade that was proclaimed by the African Union during the First Ordinary Session of its Assembly on July 9-10, 2002 in Durban, South Africa. The proclamation resulted from the First Pan African Capacity Building Forum that the Foundation organized in Bamako, Mali on October 22-24, 2001 to launch its expanded mandate in capacity building following the integration of the Partnership for Capacity Building in Africa (PACT) into its fold. SMTP I falls within the first half of the proclaimed decade, while SMTP II will bring the decade to a close. This resolution by the African Union must continue to find concrete expression within the Foundation’s medium term plans, as they are one of the vehicles for its implementation.

And yet, there is an additional significant development that provides another context to the development of the plan; and that is the strong relationship between NEPAD and ACBF, which is underpinned by a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that was signed between both institutions on January 14, 2004. The MOU places on ACBF the role of an implementing agency for NEPAD’s capacity building programs. In response to this responsibility, the Foundation has taken necessary steps by approving, in May 2005, a grant of US$2.0million to strengthen NEPAD Secretariat and has launched the assessment of the capacity needs of Africa’s regional economic communities (RECs), which constitute the building blocks of the NEPAD initiative. The survey will enable the Foundation to develop appropriate capacity building interventions to re-position the RECs for their task within the framework of NEPAD programs and for more efficient implementation of their mandates. Thus, the case for SMTP II is evident and strong. What is now required are the means.

SMTP I has been a significant turning point in the effort to raise the development effectiveness of interventions in capacity building in sub-Saharan Africa. In spite of financing shortfall, which placed limitation on the size and scale of the interventions, the Foundation succeeded in reaching vital agencies in the core public sector; strengthening non-state actors and consultative platforms; launching economic policy as well as public sector management training programs on the continent; raising the effectiveness of economics and financial management training programs at the regional level; and capacitating major regional institutions.

a momentum that will need to be scaled up significantly for sustainable impact to be achieved. Necessarily, a follow-up plan is thus needed to build on this strong impetus. A loss in momentum will considerably undermine the gains already made under SMTP I. Hence the plan to launch SMTP 2007-2011 in good time.

There is a widely-shared consensus that the basis of SMTP I, the framework offered by the Partnership for Capacity Building in Africa (PACT) that was integrated into ACBF in 2000, remains valid in light of existing capacity needs and should continue to guide the core component of the continuing effort to build and strengthen Africa’s capacity. Essentially, therefore, the succeeding medium term plan will draw heavily on this framework, while responding to new needs and emerging approaches in capacity building over the medium to the long term. Yet, it will be driven by extensive and exhaustive consultation of all relevant stakeholders. The consultation process has already begun and preliminary ideas expressed have provided pointers to critical areas of medium to long-term capacity needs that SMTP II will have to address.

Some of the action frontiers that are emerging include the following, among others:

The signals are strong that SMTP II will need to minimize project-based interventions; be driven by country programs as well as sector, agency and institution-wide approaches; strengthen further national policy research and training institutions; and build on reforms in core public sector institutions, parliaments and for effective and efficient delivery of public services.

The need is also being expressed for the Foundation to enhance its partnership and collaboration programs with national, regional and continental organizations; strengthen national and regional platforms for development policy dialogue, including the institutionalization of African economic summits; establish knowledge management systems in public services to promote the culture of quality of service; and develop initiatives for the promotion of excellence in leadership and development policy management, among others.

With the consultation process now on, we would like to invite all stakeholders to be part of it, as the Foundation undertakes capacity needs assessments at national, regional and continental levels to guide the determination of the strategic priorities of SMTP II for the period 2007-2011. Meanwhile, the Foundation has also launched a sensitization program on resource requirements for the plan and wishes to call on the development community to support the cause of SMTP II and partner with the Foundation to significantly scale up the level of investment in people and institutions in the fight against poverty on the continent.