ACBF
SIGNS A US$1.7 MILLION GRANT WITH THE
INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
 |
Exchange
of instruments: Edwin N. Forlemu,
Executive Secretary a.i. of ACBF
(left); Florence Abena Dolphyne,
Chair of the IDEG Governing Council
(center); and Emmanuel Akwetey,
Executive Director of IDEG (right). |
On
9 April 2009, in Accra, Ghana, the
African Capacity Building Foundation
(ACBF) signed a Grant Agreement of
US$1.7 million with the Institute for
Democratic Governance (IDEG). The Grant
will finance the implementation of
the second phase (four years) of the
IDEG Interface Capacity Building Project
(IDEG-CAP II). The goal of IDEG-CAP
II is to contribute to sustained interface
between state and non-state actors
in order to promote sustainable development
in Ghana. IDEG will: (i) enhance its
capacity to help spearhead sustainable
interface between the State and Non-State
actors; (ii) consolidate interface
between state and non state actors;
(iii) enhance policy and research analysis
to boost informed non-state actor advocacy
and lobbying efforts; and (iv) strengthen
the development of the interface capacities
of state and non-state actors.
Speaking at the signing ceremony,
Edwin N. Forlemu, Executive Secretary
a.i. of ACBF, stated that “ACBF
places significant premium on the building
of credible and effective partnerships
with governments, the private sector,
and civil society organizations in
its quest to boost the quality of public
policymaking. This is because the Foundation
realizes that supporting capacity-building
initiatives that foster the roles of
all stakeholders in the development
is critical in the fight against poverty
in Africa”. Dr. Forlemu added
that “decades of neglect and
exclusion have undermined the capacity
of government officials and non-state
actors in civil society and the private
sector to interact with one another
professionally. The result has been
a failure in the development of human
resources and institutional mechanisms
to sustain results-oriented dialogue
and interface between state and non-state
actors.”
Emmanuel Akwetey, Executive Director
of IDEG, thanked ACBF for its continued
support that will further enhance IDEG’s
capacity to spearhead sustainable interface
between state and non-state actors
in Ghana. He added that the impact
of IDEG’s work was felt recently
during the presidential elections in
Ghana. He indicated that IDEG’s
ability to help bring together all
the state and non-state actors and
facilitate dialogue following the declaration
of the results of the elections was
a defining moment for the institution.
On behalf of the IDEG Council of Trustees,
Florence Abena Dolphyne, thanked ACBF
and reiterated the need for IDEG to
pursue its resource mobilization drive
for the implementation of the second
phase.
The ACBF team comprised Edwin N. Forlemu,
Executive Secretary a.i.; Samba Ka,
Manager of Operations Department III;
and Leah Chatta-Chipepa, Program Officer.
The team took the opportunity to meet
with all ACBF-supported projects and
programs in Ghana. In particular, it
held a meeting with the Management
and Staff of the African Women’s
Development Fund (AWDF).
Total resources committed thus far
by ACBF to various interventions in
Ghana amount to almost US$23 million.
Beneficiaries include three national
institutions: the Centre for Policy
Analysis (CEPA); the Institute for
Democratic Governance (IDEG); and the
Economy of Ghana Network (EGN), a country-level
knowledge network, which is hosted
by the Institute of Statistical, Social
and Economic Research (ISSER), University
of Ghana-Legon. Also, Ghana hosts four
ACBF-supported regional training programs/institutions,
namely: the Economic Policy Management
(EPM) Training Program, which is located
at the University of Ghana-Legon; the
Public Sector Management Training Program
(PSMTP), which is being implemented
by the Ghana Institute of Management
and Public Administration (GIMPA);
the Association of African Universities
(AAU); and the African Women’s
Development Fund (AWDF).
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ADDRESS DELIVERED
BY
DR. EDWIN N. FORLEMU
EXECUTIVE SECRETARY A.I. OF ACBF
ON
THE OCCASION OF THE SIGNING OF THE
GRANT AGREEMENT BETWEEN
THE INSTITUTE FOR DEMOCRATIC GOVERNANCE
AND
THE AFRICAN CAPACITY BUILDING FOUNDATION
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