Africa needs capacity to forge its own progress: Forum

By Wallace Mawire

HARARE, Zimbabwe

At a time when Africa faces a host of challenges, the continent’s inability to forge its own development, spearheaded by African-owned institutions and with African solutions to African problems -- in a phrase, its capacity building -- pose a sizable hurdle to its economic and social transformation, says Professor Emmanuel Nnadozie, executive secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACDF).

Officially opening the Third Pan-African Capacity Development Forum in Harare today, Nnadozie said that Africa still needs to develop the capacity to successfully design, implement, and monitor its own policy measures and reforms.

“There is no doubt that over the years, various capacity-building actors on the continent like the ACBF have helped to build capacity over the years. This is more the reason for celebrating our achievements this far. However, l wish to submit to this gathering that capacity remains the missing link in achieving the development agendas in Africa,” Nnadozie said.

Nnadozie said that capacity-building in this sense means creating an African continent capable of achieving its own development. This will involve the creation of African-owned institutions facilitating policy and economic analysis and development management initiatives, and African solutions to African challenges, he added.

The third forum is organized by the ACBF in partnership with the government of Zimbabwe. Zimbabwe has been a supportive host of the Pan African Capacity Development Forum since 1991.

It is being attended by the representatives of actors dealing with economic and social matters on the African continent, including the African Union Commission (AUC), the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the Regional Economic Communities (REC), government representatives, think-tanks, civil society representatives, the private sector, and experts from universities and training institutions.

Nnadozie says close contact and regular exchange of experiences among all the actors is essential for strengthening capacities for achieving Africa’s economic and social transformation.

The 2015 Africa Capacity report, ACBF’s flagship publication, highlights that capacity in its various dimensions is still a problem for the continent. The report shows that the bulk of African countries have medium capacity comprising 73 percent of the countries, with only 17.8 percent in the high bracket, while 8.9 percent are in the low bracket.

This is reported to be both in policy design and implementation, according to the ACBF.

The third forum underscores the key role of capacity in the development strategies of African countries, especially in the new context of Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SGDs).

Dr. Anthony Mothae Maruping, the African Union commissioner for economic affairs, said that social, economic, and political transformation is required to achieve growth in Africa. He said that capacity is a necessary ingredient.

“Building requisite capacity is a key issue that must be adequately addressed. Accelerated, inclusive, transformative real growth with equity is no longer an option but an imperative for Africa in order to create jobs, tackle poverty, and gain rapid, resilient, inclusive, and sustainable socioeconomic development,” he said.

The third forum is being held with the theme “Developing capacity for Africa’s economic and social transformation.”