The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), the Africa Union’s specialised agency for capacity development, has identified institutional weaknesses and inadequate leadership as the key challenges impeding achievement of Agenda 2063, said ACBF Executive Secretary, Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie in Yaoundé at the launch of the 2019 Africa Capacity Report, titled; Fostering Transformative Leadership for Africa’s Development.
Agenda 2063 is a strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent over the next 44 years. It builds on and seeks to accelerate the implementation of past and existing continental initiatives for growth and sustainable development. Prof. Nnadozie said that the report, which was the seventh in the series, measures the capacity of African Countries to pursue their development agenda, focusing on key determinants of capacity for development.
“Institution building is key to development and to building transformative leaders. Capacity building efforts should thus target the top political leaders, including the top management in the public and private sectors. “African governments must invest massively in building competencies in their public services. Capabilities, systems and processes must be strengthened in economic planning and finance units and entities responsible for social, health and education strategies,” said Prof. Nnadozie.
The Chair of the Board of Governors of ACBF, Ghana’s Minister of Finance, Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, who was present at the launch said transformative leadership in Africa was a daunting task requiring substantial resources and commitment of political, business, religious and traditional leaders. “The capacity development cluster for results and outcome remains the weakest. So how do we now marshal ourselves and mobilise ourselves to correct this? This is what this report will do for us. The book is telling us that it’s all about the people. Therefore, as leaders, we need to build the social capital, the capacity of political leaders, CSOs, public servants and so on,” he said.
Also speaking at the launch of the 2019 Africa Capacity Report, Cameroon’s Minister of Finance, Mr Louis Motaze pledged that the Cameroonian government will make wise use of the report to ensure good governance.
The Africa Capacity Report 2019 quoted President Paul Kagame of Rwanda as saying “this report is especially timely in the context of the institutional and financial reforms of the African Union. “Crucial milestones of Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals are approaching rapidly. We are also on the cusp of putting the historic African Continental Free Trade Area into operation. Realising these initiatives requires sustained, transformative leadership,” he said.
President Paul Kagame provided the foreword for the 2019 Africa Capacity Report.
