3RD HIGH LEVEL FORUM ON AID EFFECTIVENESS
2-4 SEPTEMBER 2008, ACCRA, GHANA
CAPACITY BUILDING REMAINS AT THE CORE OF AID EFFECTIVENESS AND DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS

On 2-4 September 2008, the 3rd High Level Forum (HLF) on Aid Effectiveness took place in Accra, Ghana. The HLF afforded an opportunity for extensive discussion of aid effectiveness by a wide spectrum of development players from around the world. The main outcome of the Forum was the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA), which is the roadmap that aims to deepen the implementation of the Paris Declaration. The key objective of the AAA is: “to unlock the full potential of aid in achieving lasting development results.” It acknowledges that the pace of progress of the goals set out in the Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness has been slow and that the 2010 commitments will not be met. It calls for collective action and acceleration of progress on aid effectiveness by highlighting three key elements: country ownership, building effective partnerships, and achieving development results.

The Paris Declaration, endorsed on 5 March 2005, is an international agreement to which over one hundred Ministers, Heads of Agencies and other Senior Officials adhered and committed their countries and organizations to continue to increase their development efforts through a set of monitorable actions and indicators. The Declaration has five key principles: ownership, alignment, harmonization, managing for results, and mutual accountability. It was envisaged that these key principles would promote partnership that improves transparency and accountability on the use of development resources.

In the AAA, it is acknowledged that capacity development is a key ingredient in achieving strong human and institutional capacity that developing countries need to lead and manage development challenges. The AAA outlines that, “under the Paris Declaration it was agreed that capacity development is the responsibility of the developing countries, with donors playing a supportive role and that technical cooperation is one means among others to develop such capacity.”

In response to the challenge of achieving capacity development in African countries, ACBF, as the leading capacity building institution in Africa, will play its part. In a statement during the HLF, Edwin. N. Forlemu, Executive Secretary a.i. of ACBF, stated that, “African institutions have a particular role to play in ensuring that capacity development is at the center and end of their development strategies. Capacity development is a long-term process, requiring a deep understanding of local realities. Over the last fifteen years, African institutions have gained much valuable experience in facilitating capacity development initiatives, underpinned by the principles of ownership, leadership and alignment with local systems.” The statement underscored three factors that explain why capacity building is at the core of efforts to make aid more effective: (i) the need for capable leadership and know-how to spearhead change; (ii) the need for an overarching vision to direct efforts of states and other stakeholders; and (iii) the need for an enabling environment of rules, processes and institutions to guide all actors involved. (See full ACBF Statement at the HLF, Accra, 2-4 September 2008).

ACBF participated in a radio panel interview that included Akoto Osei, Minister of State, Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning; Samba Ka, Manager of West and North Africa Operations at ACBF; and a Representative of the European Union. During the discussion, ACBF promoted capacity building as central to advancing the AAA. Dr. Ka stated that for AAA to become a reality, Africa needs to harness its human and institutional capacity to deliver on aid effectiveness.

ACBF was represented at the HLF by Edwin. N. Forlemu, Executive Secretary a.i., ACBF; Apollinaire Ndorukwigira, Adviser, Operations, and Manager; Samba Ka, Manager; Leah Chatta-Chipepa, Program Officer; and Barrie Ireton, Advisor on Resource Mobilization. The delegation also took the opportunity to meet with some ACBF stakeholders and partners, including representatives of Germany, Ghana, Japan, Japan, the Netherlands, Sierra Leone, South Africa, the International Fund for Agricultural Development, the Arab Fund for Economic Development, and the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development – Development Assistance Committee (OECD-DAC).