Kigali Hosts ACBF 20th Anniversary Summit
By Lilian Museka
KIGALI---Delegates that include African leaders, dignitaries, academics and public and private sector representatives, and representatives of bilateral and multilateral agencies have begun arriving in Kigali for the 20th anniversary celebrations of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)
Speaking ahead of the two-day summit from at the Kigali Serena Hotel, under the theme: The future of Africa is now – the critical role of capacity development, ACBF Executive Secretary, Dr Frannie Léautier said the landscape for capacity development has changed dramatically, since the formation of ACBF twenty years ago.
Dr. Frannie added that whereas the seeds for the formation of the Foundation were originally sown outside the continent, there was a major paradigm shift, with Africans owning the agenda for capacity development, rather than having it externally driven.
“Africa is claiming its rightful position on the international stage. It is a genuine sign of transformative leadership and change that in 2011, Rwanda is convening the dialogue to chart the way forward and map the course for the next twenty years,” the Executive Secretary said.
The plenary session of the Heads of State Forum is being convened under the theme ‘Building Capacity for Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)’. “This is opportune, given that we are less than five years away from the deadline for the Millennium Development Goals and our 20th anniversary provides a strategic forum for dialogue at the highest level between the Foundation and its development partners on the role of capacity in the continent’s development agenda”, Frannie said.
The two-day Summit will include a Heads of State and Government panel on 9th February that will consider the overall state of capacity as it relates to African development. Together with the deliberations from the other delegates on wide ranging topics such as leadership and the challenges of leading in Africa and rebuilding after conflict, the Summit will develop a Kigali Resolution, to be presented at the AU summit in Malabo later this year.
The Foundation will also use the summit to launch the Africa Capacity Indicators Report which outlines the progress in capacity development on the continent and identifies the key areas of challenge.
Among the confirmed speakers and panelists are Mr. Thabo Mbeki, former President of South Africa, Dr Donald Kaberuka, President of the African Development Bank, Dr Abdoulie Janneh, Executive Secretary of the United Nations Economic Community for Africa; Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Managing Director of the World Bank and Dr. Ibrahim A Mayaki, Chief Executive Officer, NEPAD.
Meanwhile, Chair of the ACBF Board of Governors, Ambassador Sten Rylander said the general environment for capacity development had shifted a great deal since the creation of ACBF twenty years ago, adding that Africa’s economic prospects and the challenges facing the continent in light of the global financial crisis have made transparent the key gaps in capacity to handle these challenges.
Success factors and key risks facing the continent had also rendered more visible the role of capacity development, and, by definition, the contribution of the Foundation.
Africa’s journey, since independence, highlights the pivotal role of capacity in development and motivates the need to look back and learn from the past and from each other.
The summit comes on the back of several high level meetings, learning events, lectures, presentations and workshops, and leading up to this culmination in 2011.
The event will be hosted by Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame. ACBF, which was established in February 1991, is the outcome of collaboration between African governments and the international donor community. ACBF’s mission is to build sustainable human and institutional capacity for sustainable growth and poverty reduction in Africa. Its broad vision is for Africa to be recognized for its socio-political and economic capabilities and endowments – a continent with effective institutions and policies acquired through sustained investment in people and institutions.