By Patricia Mashiri
The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) has been mandated as specialised agency for capacity development by the African Union Commission (AUC) through the signing of the cooperation agreement.
The partnership provides a platform for joint resource mobilisation to finance a better coordinated capacity development effort across the continent in line with Agenda 2063.
Professor Emmanuel Nnadozie, the ACBF Executive Secretary said the partnership further consolidated the already excellent partnership between the two institutions. The signing ceremony was held in Harare on 20 February 2018.
“ACBF is delighted that this agreement consolidated further its membership of Africa’s institutional architecture. The foundation is further comforted in its determination to continue to build human and institutional capacity for the emergency of Africa capable of achieving is own development, with a strong pillar towards achieving the Africa we want,” Nnadozie said.
Mousa Faki Mahamat, the Chairperson of the AUC called for evaluation of some of the commission’s programmes.
Mahamat said there was need for coordinated approach to avoid duplication of duties.
“The ACBF agency shall among other things create a consultative forum in which Africans may participate as full partners in the establishment of priorities and he development of policies and programs to promote capacity building in policy analysis and development management.
“Establish processes for coordinating capacity building efforts in policy formulation and implementation that would lead to greater efficiency and effectiveness of ongoing donor efforts,”Mahamat
He added that there was need to coordinate resource mobilisation to provide funding and resources for capacity building in Africa. There was the need to coordinate and champion the production of fit-for-purpose, high quality and timely capacity development knowledge in support of the implementation of Africa’s development priorities.
The ACBF and AUC partnership can be traced back to 1992 before the organisation of African Unity (OAU) changed to African Union (AU). The two parties have engaged in extensive collaboration on capacity development in support of Africa’s development process.
Zimbabwe is headquarters to ACBF since its inception in 1991. In addition, the country has paid US$2.95 million in membership contribution to the institution.