The African Development Bank (AfDB) says it is solidifying its partnership with civil society organisations (CSOs) in West Africa.
The AfDB, in a statement issued on its website on Friday, April 12, 2024, said this was deliberated during the bank’s fruitful mission to Ghana.
The statement said the mission focused on advancing an agreement signed between the bank and the West Africa Civil Society Institute in December 2023 on an action plan for 2024.
The statement said the mission outlined collaboration in CSOs capacity building, resource mobilisation, knowledge management, and advocacy.
“Immediate initiatives highlighted in the plan include CSOs involvement in finalising the bank’s Civil Society Engagement (CSE) capacity building programme and integrating it into bank operations.
“Recognising the imperative of early and comprehensive CSOs engagement, the mission emphasised improved integration of diverse perspectives into the bank’s country strategy papers and country dialogue.
“Collaboration with Afrobarometer shall include a joint initiative with the International Budget Partnership to strengthen CSOs capacity in the budget space.
“Discussions also covered data and analysis on the bank’s High 5s, focusing on citizens experiences, poverty alleviation, access to food, and migration,’’ it said.
Afrobarometer is a pan-African, independent, non-partisan research network that measures public attitudes on economic, political, and social matters in Africa.
According to the bank, Afrobarometer will lead conversations on governance within the CSE Community of Practice (CoP), thereby generating knowledge to inform the bank’s programming on economic and financial governance.
The statement said collaboration on major events like the AfDB’s Annual Meetings and the 2024 United Nations Climate Change Conference was envisioned.
It said this would be possible by leveraging Afrobarometer’s expertise to enrich discussions and align them with Africa’s priorities.
It said: “A meeting with the West African Network for Peace building (WANEP) during the mission culminated in finalising a joint Transition Support Facility III proposal.
“The proposal is titled ‘Sahel Peace building, Reconciliation, Inclusive Development and Empowerment’.
“Exploratory talks also covered potential joint initiatives on conflict prevention, mitigation, and resilience building in the West African Region, particularly in the Sahel.
“A feasibility study on civil society engagement in peace building is also under consideration,’’ it said.
According to the statement, WANEP will lead discussions on fragility and resilience within the CoP.
The statement said it would offer insights that could inform the implementation of the bank’s 2022-2026 Strategy for Addressing Fragility and Building Resilience through such interactions.
It reiterated AfDB’s continued commitment towards collaborating with civil society to advance inclusive and sustainable development across Africa.
By Lucy Ogalue
