Joint Workshop on Capacity Building:"Effective States and Engaged Societies"

Opening Remarks

By Ms. Josephine Ouedraogo, Deputy Executive Secretary of the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA)
(Delivered on Behalf of Mr. K.Y. Amoako, Executive Secretary of ECA)

Workshop co-sponsored by the African Development Bank (AfDB), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa ( UNECA) and the World Bank.

February 24 - 25, 2005,
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Ms Margaret Vogt, Representative of the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union,
Mr Callisto Madavo, Former Vice-President for Africa and Special Adviser in the Office of the President of the World Bank
Mr. Ibrahim Diallo, Representative of the African Development Bank
Distinguished Experts,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

It gives me great pleasure to bring you the greetings of K.Y. Amoako, the Executive Secretary of ECA, who, because of prior unavoidable commitments, could not be here to attend this important meeting.

Capable, democratic States remain key to overcoming Africa's development challenges, especially with regards to poverty eradication. A key component of a capable state is the existence of effective and efficient state and non-state institutions. There is overwhelming evidence from studies by ECA and others, that, notwithstanding past efforts, capacity deficits across state and non-state institutions continue to pose obstacles to poverty eradication.

Regrettably, first generation Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSs) implemented in Africa did not put capacity development at the fore. Instead, capacity issues were addressed indirectly in a piecemeal fashion; driven largely by donor interests and restricted to economic policy-making institutions.

It is time to address this shortcoming and form a partnership among all stakeholders to design, resource and implement the kind of bold, cross-cutting and comprehensive programme of capacity development envisaged in 1996, when the ECA Conference of Ministers approved the Framework Agenda for Building and Utilizing Critical Capacities in Africa and in line with the Partnership for African Capacity Building (PACT) proposed by the African governors of the World Bank in 1998.

I know we all agree that if Africa is to stay steadily on the path of poverty-reducing economic growth, it will have to continue building, retaining and effectively utilizing its capacities.

What is needed is to urgently bolster the quality and efficiency of the continent's human capital, physical infrastructure, and climate for business transactions, mediated by sound economic policy and effective institutions, particularly in an era when HIV/AIDs is rapidly eroding capacity in many countries.

However, despite all the efforts of African countries and partners-and resources deployed in the past few decades- major capacity gaps persist.

To address these challenges, ECA has for many years been part of the efforts to build and strengthen Africa's human and institutional capacities. In the process, we have learnt a few key lessons that I would like to briefly share with you:

• A holistic, and not piecemeal, approach to capacity development in the context of a national vision of development is the approach to take;
• A conducive economic and political environment is the most appropriate environment liable to help capacity development thrive in our countries;
• National "ownership" in building capacity and "responsibility" for its effective utilization is also a necessary precondition;
• Technical assistance can become fully efficient only when it complements indigenous expertise, rather than compete with it or replace it;
• The forging of effective partnership for capacity development at the national level surely implies involving the public and private sectors and engaging civil society;
• National actions, in turn, need to be complemented by regional and sub-regional activities; and
• Mobilization of substantial financial resources is inevitable and necessary for capacity development effort to succeed.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The realization of good governance practices in Africa is inextricably linked to the issue of capacity. An environment of peace, stability and security is required for people to pursue productive activities and create wealth and employment. Better governance also takes place when institutions function in accordance with the constitutional provisions of the country, and cultures and traditions of the people.

As most of you know, ECA has undertaken one of the most comprehensive studies ever to assess the state of governance in Africa. So far, we have surveyed 28 countries, engaging qualified national institutions that conducted both expert and household opinion polls.

I would like to share some of the findings as they relate to an environment where capacity can best be developed:

• Means and incentives are needed to stem the flight of Africa's own talent; and favorable conditions can only inspire commitment and retention amongst succeeding generations of young Africans;
• African political leaders, public servants, civil society members and the private sector, and all others in governance positions, must be encouraged to be transparent in their operations and held accountable for their actions; and
• Institutions- I am confident- can become efficient and perform in an effective manner when they are provided with basic facilities and resources.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The promotion of better governance is a continuous and long-term activity-and so is institutional capacity building for a capable, democratic state and other socioeconomic development processes. They are both products of deliberate policy options and strategies for implementation. Many of the necessary ingredients are already available in Africa, and so are the facilities. We need to build on them.

What we also need are leaders who are ardently committed to a holistic, systemic view of capacity building and have the courage and the political will to take appropriate actions. The support of the international community is equally essential. That is why we jointly organized this workshop with the World Bank and the African Development Bank and invited African experts to help guide us as we chart the way forward.

We each have valuable expertise, networks, and resources. There is a record of cooperation between us that we can build upon. To this end, we hope that this workshop will stimulate actionable ideas on how to:

• Re-evaluate and improve development partners' approaches to support capacity development in Africa;
• Synchronize development partners' support with African countries' needs;
• Assign responsibilities to viable institutions who are leaders in the field; and
• Develop monitoring mechanisms for assessing the progress of capacity building efforts.

Thank you again, Distinguished Experts, Ladies and Gentlemen for the pleasure of being with you. I wish you every success in your discussions.