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Capacity Building
for sustainable development and Poverty Reduction
is the raison d’être of the African Capacity
Building Foundation. This mission is
imbedded in key operational principles. Partnership
and ownership constitute the cornerstone of
the ACBF’s strategy for supporting interventions
within the framework of the SMTP. The
ACBF’s strategy also recognizes the leadership
of African institutions in the formulation
and implementation of development policies. The
strengthening of those institutions is a key
driver in the process of improving the effectiveness
of development programs as well as the quality
of services supplied by the public sector,
private sector and community-based organizations. For
ACBF, capacity building should not only involve
the creation of new human and institutional
capacity, but also the effective utilization
of existing capacity as well as the retrieval
and regeneration of hitherto lost or decaying
capacity.
Institutional
Development Processes
Core
Competencies |
Level of Impact |
Process Dimension |
Focus of Intervention |
- Economic Policy Analysis and Management;
- Strengthening Capacity of Parliaments
- Professionalization of the Voices of
the Private Sector and Civil Society
|
-Enabling Environment |
-Policy Development |
Changes in the macroeconomic policy environment,
legislative framework; partnership between
public sector, private sector and civil society,
developing countries and donor countries,
support to Regional Integration |
- Public Administration Reform
- Financial Management and Accountability
- Support to Statistical Services
|
Sector/Agency |
System and organizational development |
Changes in sectoral/
organizational efficiency |
| Research and Training |
Individuals and groups |
Human resource development |
Enhancement of knowledge and utilization
of skills |
ACBF’s
Operational Procedures and Internal
Processes The
Operations Guidelines Manual provides a set
of rules and procedures followed by
the Secretariat
and prospective grant recipients in the design
and implementation of projects. The
guidelines define rules to be followed at every
step of the project development and implementation. The
project cycle of ACBF project is summarized
as follows:
- The
design
and implementation
of ACBF-supported
programs
and projects follow a process approach
that
ensures flexibility and fosters ownership
and learning during implementation. The
grantee plays the leading role in needs assessment,
project identification and design, and implementation.
- The
operational
procedures put a high premium on accountability
in the use of grant resources by program
and project promoters through reviews
of disbursement
requests,
financial
supervisions. Grantees
are required to prepare work programs
and budgets
that are
scrutinized
by their
governance
structures and by the ACBF Secretariat.
An
independent external audit is conducted
annually
to review project accounts.
- In
addition
to desk supervision and monitoring,
the ACBF
Secretariat normally carries out two
field-supervision
missions and at least one financial
supervision
mission, every year. Other procedures
aimed at
ensuring
integrity
in the
use of
project
funds are set out in grant agreements,
procurement
and disbursement guidelines.
- The
responsibility
for project implementation lies with
the grantee.
However,
the Secretariat
plays an
important advisory role in the review
of
work programs, project management issues
and regular review of project performance. ACBF
and the grant recipient carry out participatory
evaluations to assess the developmental impact
of interventions through mid-term reviews
and project completion reports. All
relevant stakeholders are invited to join
in the evaluation exercise. Overall,
the Foundation plays a facilitating
role in the monitoring and evaluation
of projects
through sharing of ideas and knowledge
on best practices.
- The
Strategic
Medium Term Plan for 2002-2006 implies
that more
emphasis
will need
to be put
on a holistic
program and process approach to capacity
building interventions than has been
the
case so far.
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