ACBF Holds Fourth
Annual Meeting of TAP-NETs
 |
The
High Table (from left to right):
Mr. Abdellatif Bernoussi, Manager
of the Networking and Research
Partnership DIvision, African
Development Bank (AfDB); Mr.
Boubacar Macalou, Director
of CERCAP (Mali); Dr. Genevesi
Ogiogio, Manager of the Knowledge
Management and Program Support
Department, ACBF; Prof. Marimantia
Diarra, Minister of Planning
and Land Management, Mali;
Dr. René N'guettia Kouassi,
Director for Economic Affairs,
Commission of the African Union;
and Mr. Bakary Koné,
Program Officer, Knowledge
Management and Program Support
Department, ACBF. |
On
March 28-30, 2007, ACBF held the
Fourth Annual Meeting of the Technical
Advisory Panels and Networks (TAP-NETs)
in Bamako, Mali, in partnership with
the Government of Mali. This Meeting
was hosted by the ACBF-Funded Project,
CERCAP, Mali. Participants consisted
of 41 TAP-NETs members, the African
Union Commission (AUC), the African
Development Bank (AfDB), and other
invited guests. The Meeting was attended
by a number of dignitaries including
Prof. M. Marimantia Diara, the Hon.
Minister of Planning, Mali, who delivered
the keynote address; H.E. Mande Sidibé,
Former Prime Minister, Mali, who
chaired the Opening Session; Mr.
Basary Touré, Former Minister
of Finance, Mali, and Former Executive
Director, World Bank, who chaired
a session; Dr. Rene N’guettia
Kouassi, Director, Economic Affairs,
AUC, who provided some opening remarks
and chaired a session; M. Abdellatif
Bernoussi, Manager, Network and
Research Partnership Division, AfDB;
and a team from the Canadian
International Development Agency
(CIDA) led by Ms. Micheline Chartrand,
Knowledge Management Adviser for
West and Central Africa.
Other participants comprised members
of the ACBF-sponsored African Policy
Institutes Forum (APIF); Project
Directors of ACBF-supported institutions
in Mali; and Coordinators of ACBF-supported
Country-level Knowledge Networks.
In total, some 80 people attended
the Opening Session. The meeting
benefited immensely from the hospitality
of Dr. Boubacar Macalou, Executive
Director, CERCAP, Mali, who provided
much needed logistical support in
addition to chairing a session of
the meeting.
A moment of silence was observed
in honor of the late Honorable Hawa
Ogede Yakubu, an active member of
PARLIANET who recently passed-on
untimely.
In his keynote address,
the Hon. Minister of Planning and
Land Development, M. Marimantia
Diara, noted that the African continent
had on average posted positive economic
growth over the past several years,
noting that that sixteen African
countries had registered annual economic
growth rates in excess of 4% over
the preceding decade. M. Diara further
noted that this notable growth rate
had registered positively in health,
access to portable water, and good
political governance. However, the
Hon. Minister underscored the fact
that Africa continued to face enormous
challenges in development. He asserted
that an efficient response to these
challenges would involve a significant
scaling-up of the quantity and quality
of external and domestic financial
resources earmarked for development;
political stability; good governance
(political, economic, administrative,
corporate); and the efficient strengthening,
utilization, and retention of capacity.
The Honorable Minister emphasized
especially the need for Africa to
build sustainable capacity to be
able to harness the benefits of new
technologies, foster a knowledge
and information sharing culture,
support the emergence of knowledge-based
organizations, and systematically
document what is working and what
is not working in development. Noting
that the conceptualization of the
TAP-NETs pandered in large measure
to these concerns, the Minister of
Planning therefore looked forward
to the planned deliberations of the
TAP-NETs Meeting, and declared the
Meeting duly opened.
The major agenda items for the meeting
included the following:
-
A refresher
on the conceptualization, expectations,
challenges, achievements
(and missed opportunities),
and the road ahead for ACBF TAP-NETs;
Presented
by Dr. Genevesi Ogiogio, Manager,
Knowledge Management and Program
Support Department, ACBF;
-
The
(plenary) presentations and discussion,
of the preliminary study
reports for the various TAP-NETs,
as
detailed shortly;
-
Breakaway sessions
to discuss matters idiosyncratic
to each TAP-NET,
including taking an inventory of progress so
far in respect of the ongoing
studies and strategies for their timely completion;
and the deliberation of
the draft work plan for 2007, the
latter to
be submitted for approval
to ACBF. These deliberations culminated in
a Report for each TAP-NET;
-
Each
TAP-NET Chair or their proxy
presented the Report to
the plenary.
Progress reports
were presented for the following
TAP-NETs papers:
-
A Review
of Parliamentary Scorecards in
Africa; Annual Position Paper,
PARLIANET; by Hon. Bosley, Mrs.
Constance Mompei, Mr. Ayodele Aderinwale,
Dr. Benard Nzo-Nguty, and Mr. Michael
Mataure.
-
A review of
the Effectiveness of Parliamentary
Networks as Tools
for Capacity Building in Africa;
Working Paper 3, PARLIANET; by
Professor Severine Rugumamu and
Mr. Ayodele Aderinwale.
-
A Review
of Public Expenditure Management
in sub-Saharan Africa – Experiences
from Ghana, Tanzania, and South
Africa; Working Paper 1, PAMNET;
by Dr. Pundy Pillay, Mr. Ashwajit
Singh, and Dr. Peter A. Hall,
presented by Professor Mutahaba.
-
Capacity
Building Implications of Public
Sector Financial
Management Reforms in Developing Countries – a
Review of Conceptual Issues
and Country Experiences; Working Paper
1, FIMANET; by Mr. Andy Wynne,
Mr. Stephen Emasu, Mr. M.R.
Hove, and Professor Ato Ghartey.
-
Towards Reforming
National Statistical Agencies and
Systems – a
Survey of Best-practices
Countries with Effective
National Statistical
Systems in Africa; Annual
Position Paper, STATNET;
by Mr. Peter Wingfield-Digby,
Prof. Milton Iyoha and
Prof. E.
Koffi-Tessio.
-
Reactivation
of the African Statistical Association;
Working Paper
1, STANET; by Prof. Nicholas Biekpe and Mr.
Martin Balépa.
-
Exploration
of Best-practice Schemes
in the Financing of
National Statistical Agencies in
Regions from Which
Africa Can Beneficial
Lessons; Working Paper 2, STATNET; by Prof.
Egnonto M. Koffi-Tessio
and Mr. Dieudonné Dahoun.
-
Gender Budgeting
as a Tool for Poverty Reduction:
Concept, Practices and Capacity Implications; Working
Paper 1, VOICENET;
by Dr. Gloria Braxton, Dr. Josephine Odera, Mr.
Warren Nyamugasira.
-
Development
of Virtual Interactive Portal
for Communication
in the Context of Operations of Africa’s
Knowledge Networks
and Virtual Policy Think Tanks; Working Paper
3, EPANET; by Professor
Val Samonis.
The various studies profited from
spirited and incisive plenary discussions,
a facility that permitted truly inter-TAP-NET
collaboration on the studies.
The Fourth Annual Meeting of the
TAP-NETs was generally a success;
provided an opportunity for physical
interaction and networking among
TAP-NETs members; enabled stock-taking
and rededication to the timely completion
of the ongoing assignments; and facilitated
strategic planning for the coming
TAP-NETs year, 2007-2008.
 |
TAP-NET
members and invited guests
at the Fourth ACBF TAP-NET
Meeting in Bamako, Mali
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