Gathering Of Governors Scheduled To Take Place In Accra

Accra, Sept. 1, GNA - The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), African Union's Specialised Agency for Capacity Development, in collaboration with Government would convene its 26th Board of Governors Meeting in Accra from September 4 - 5, 2017.

The meeting, on the theme: 'Enhancing Access to and Absorption of Development Resources in Africa,' is under the distinguished patronage of President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo.

A statement from the Foundation said the Board Meeting would be preceded by a high level meeting on the 4th of September, which would be attended by finance, economic development and planning ministers from across Africa.

Also in attendance would be development partners from North America, Europe and Australia, as well as top officials from the African Union Commission, the African Development Bank, the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank.

The statement said the high level meeting would provide an opportunity for the key development actors to reflect on means for effectively financing the Continent's development agendas and how to build related capacities.

It will review and address the capacity needs and gaps as well as leadership and planning issues that are slowing the pace of Africa's transformation.

These relate to the inadequacies in internal resource mobilisation strategies as well as difficulties in effectively absorbing and utilising external resources when such resources are made available to African Governments.

'This 26th Board of Governors meeting is coming at a crucial moment when African countries are striving to implement Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals, but are faced with inadequate human and institutional capacity to effectively implement the plans,' said Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie, the Executive Secretary of ACBF.

The meeting will also share experiences and practices on the use of Science, Technology and Innovation (STI) for socio-economic transformation and innovative ways of financing STI as part of developing the critical technical skills required for inclusive and sustainable development of African economies.

The ACBF Board of Governors will review the work of the Foundation in 2016, especially what it laid out to achieve within its current five-year strategy (2017 to 2021).

The Strategy aims to support the emergence of Skilled People and Strong Institutions to Transform Africa, and is developed around four principal goals: enabling effective delivery of continental development priorities such as Agenda 2063; supporting countries to achieve tangible development results; enhancing the ability of the private sector and civil society to contribute to sustainable development, and leveraging knowledge and learning to increase development effectiveness. GNA