The bank’s inception workshop was a revised workshop to present the bank’s action plans for 2024-2028, to compile and improve the dissemination of evidence on CSE, with the support of a consultant under the supervision of an AHGC M&E officer, the bank seeks to define a monitoring and evaluation framework with clear performance indicators for CSE aligned to the bank’s results measurement framework
Basil Jones, gender program and policy coordinator at AFDB, cheered the meeting and highlighted key points to take note of during the workshop he gave the floor to Dr Augustine NJAMNSHI, Co-founder and chair of political and technical affairs at PACJA and executive director at ACSEA who addressed the bank as follows;
“As a long-time partner, he is well placed to measure progress, and how far the bank has come, he also measures the Bank’s level of priority on this issue within the framework of a process as strategic as the development of the action plan, which will be the strategic tool and the new framework for the Bank’s engagement with civil society. The old one, you know, dates from 1992. From every indication, the process restarted with strength and conviction. Today all the dimensions are considered: the process will be participatory, the process provides for consultations with CSOs on the continent, the process provides for relevant products: a 5-year roadmap for 2024-2028, a capacity building plan, a mechanism for mobilizing resources and therefore direct funding for civil society, a monitoring and evaluation process and ongoing dialogue. We look forward to having these products by December 2023 as we are ready to play our part on the continent, by echoing the concerns of citizens from the base of the pyramid”
Objectives of the workshop
Develop a CSE action plan for the period 2024-2028 which…
- Is aligned with the ten-year strategy 2023-2-32 of the bank priorities through high 5s (light up and power Africa, feed Africa, industrialize Africa, integrate Africa, improve the quality of life for Africa)
- Include priorities from regional member countries (country strategy papers, regional integration strategy papers)
- Leverage synergies across bank departments
- Take stock of IDEV evaluation and other evaluations (I.e., bank CSO committee evaluation) of the CSE capitalization documents.
The action plan must focus on three pillars
- Ensuring an enabling environment for CSE
- mainstream CSE in policies and projects for better impact
- Knowledge generation to enhance policy dialogue and advocacy on CSE
Presentation of the revised inception workshop
The management response to the evaluation recommendation was positive with actions implemented to each recommendation but there is a need for continuous improvement as follows,
- To agree and inform on the mission, vision and performance measurements of the CSE
- The 2019 evaluation made three main recommendations
- enhance awareness and common understanding of the purpose and potential value added of CSEs and banks’ mandate
- enhance and resourcing approach to effective implementation of CSE
- strengthen CSE in policy dialogue at the country and regional levels to contribute to the bank’s strength and inclusive growth
ACTION PLAN 2024-2028 AND KEY RECOMMENDATIONS
- Increase sampling and target
- Good recommendations on quality and quantity, there will be more qualitative analysis in the action plan
- Consultations on the agenda will continue in the CS forum which is a great and powerful means to engage with civil society organizations, the forum makes it possible to exchange, to share knowledge and establish relationships.
- Benchmarking to be extended to more stakeholders and other organizations working for CSOs
- Communications and visibility from the bank
- Products expected in the action plan
- Set of activities for the next five years
- Stakeholders landscape
- Increased consultation with internal and external stakeholders
- Banks will come up with a framework where resources will be made available to CSOs
While it is recognized that Africa is the least contributor to carbon emissions globally, the continent is also the most vulnerable to climate variability and change. Making growth inclusive will require broadening access to economic opportunities for more people, countries and regions, and helping the continent generate much-needed productive jobs while protecting the vulnerable. Helping the continent transition to green growth will require mainstreaming sustainable development initiatives through investments in clean renewable energy, climate-smart agriculture and sustainable water resource management, among others.
