31st Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the African Capacity Building Foundation

WE, Governors of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) and delegates representing Member States, Bilateral and multi-lateral Development Partners, Observers, and Special Guests, met in Accra, Ghana, on 23 May 2022 for the 31^st Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of ACBF.

In concluding the Annual Meeting, WE:

• WELCOME Mr. Mamadou Biteye as Executive Secretary of the Foundation. His vast experience and competencies in senior leadership roles will be key in steering ACBF into a new strategy and the future;
• NOTE as the Foundation ends ACBF Strategy 2017-2022, it does so at the back of significant reforms that have made the organization more agile, and better prepared to respond to the changing and diverse demands of member countries;
• NOTE the achievements by the Foundation in support of policy implementation for Member States and institutional strengthening of the capacity of civil society organizations to deliver results;
• ACKNOWLEDGE the strong support by African member countries which has spurred other partners to continue engaging the Foundation, resulting in a successful implementation of the ACBF Strategy 2017-2022;
• MINDFUL ofthe achievements in programmatic areas such as (1) strengthening capacity for issue-based quality legislation and policy implementation; (2) women and youth enterprise development; (3) strengthening capacity of key strategic institutions; (4) strengthening leadership for climate adaptation; and (5) enhancing monitoring and reporting functions of Agenda 2063 in member states;
• UNDESCORE the need to sustain the story of ACBF as a well-managed and well-governed organization that is delivering impactful results;
• ENCOURAGED by the 2021 Annual Report, including the unqualified opinion of the External Auditors on the financial statements of the Foundation as of 31 December 2021 presented by the Chair of the ACBF Executive Board; and
• EXPRESS our deepest and sincere appreciation to member states and partners for the results achieved in 2021 – the African Union Commission (AUC), the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa (BADEA), the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).

Moving forward, WE:

• WELCOME the commitment made by Governors to galvanize their peers for increased support to the Foundation, in particular for their engagement and contribution to the institution;
• ENCOURAGE the ACBF Secretariat to increase country engagements, improving and sustaining ACBF’s efficiency and effectiveness, and enhancing resource mobilization efforts;
• URGE the Secretariat to develop a new Strategy with the view to strengthen the capacities aimed at turning the youth bulge into an opportunity for Africa’s growth, increasing access to energy for productive use, addressing resilience to external and internal shocks, supporting efforts toward effective devolution and embracing digitization in addressing critical socio-economic challenges on the continent;
• CALL on member states to provide the necessary technical and financial support for the formulation and implementation of the new ACBF Strategy covering the period 2023 to 2027, as its success will depend on the level of funding mobilized for the planned programs during the five-year planning period;
• COMMEND and NOTE the preliminary thinking around seizing the waves of rapid digitalization; developing capacities to implement the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA); supporting the African Union in strengthening its capacities for Agendas 2063 implementation, coordination, monitoring and measurement; enhancing capacity for domestic and external resources mobilization; and building contracts negotiation capacities of member states;
• WELCOME the commitment by ACBF partners, including the African Development Bank, BADEA, UNDP and the World Bank, to continue fostering and supporting ACBF and ENCOURAGE the Secretariat to engage these institutions in the design, development and delivery of ACBF new Strategy;
• CALL on ACBF Governors to facilitate timely payment of all outstanding contributions to the Foundation so that the Secretariat can conclude the remaining key activities under the current strategy and to plan for the new strategy without constraints;
• EXPRESS our appreciation to the Republic of Ghana, under the leadership of Hon. Ken Ofori Atta, Minister of Finance and Chair of ACBF Board of Governors, for hosting this 31^st Annual ACBF Board of Governors Meeting, and by acclamation, EXTEND for one year the term of the current Bureau.