My Message To You On The Occasion Of The 25TH Anniversary Of The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)
Dear Partners, Dear Current and Former Members of the ACBF Board of Governors and Executive Board, Dear Former ACBF Executive Secretaries, Dear Colleagues
Today, 9 February 2016, marks the 25th Anniversary of the establishment of the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) by African countries and their bilateral and multilateral development partners as a Pan African institution devoted to building human and institutional capacity in support of Africa’s development process. On this occasion, I am pleased to send this message to each and all of you as an expression of my appreciation for your 25-year long support and partnership.
We will have the opportunity to celebrate this Anniversary more formally during our 3rd Capacity Development Forum on 2-6 May 2016. Therefore, I would just like to take this opportunity to express, on behalf of the Board of Governors, the Executive Board and the Staff of ACBF, my gratitude to all the Partners who have supported the Foundation over the past 25 years. These are:
- Our Bilateral Partners: Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Greece, India, Ireland, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America
- Our multilateral Partners: the African Development Bank, the United Nations Development Programme and the World Bank
- Our technical Partners: Australia, South Africa, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
- Our Pan African Partners: the African Union Commission, the NEPAD Agency and the Economic Commission for Africa and the Regional Economic Communities
- Our Member States: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo, Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mauritius, Namibia, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Sudan, Swaziland, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
I would also like to convey my special appreciation to all our Implementing Partners across Africa for their great contribution to capacity development in African countries and regional economic communities.
I take this opportunity to thank all the former Chairs and Members of the ACBF Board of Governors and Executive Board, as well as all my predecessors, the former Executive Secretaries, namely Dr. Frimpong-Ansah (1991-1992), Mr. Koffi Edoh (1992), Dr. Pierre-Claver Damiba (1992-1994), the late Dr. Dunstan Wai (1994-1995), Mr. Abel Thoahlane (1995-1999), Dr. Soumana Sako (2000-2007), Dr. Edwin Forlemu (2008-2009) and Dr. Frannie Léautier (2009-2013) for their hard work which has taken the Foundation this far.
ACBF has gone through many phases in 25 years. The reforms implemented at the Foundation since 2012 with the support of all our Partners are starting to pay off. The Foundation has accumulated a wealth of experience that is available for all Partners in their effort to help the continent develop the capacities that are required for its social and economic transformation.
The 3rd Capacity Development Forum will provide all of us with our opportunity to celebrate what has worked in capacity development over the past 25 years, and to take a hard look at what needs to be improved to best respond to the continent’s emerging capacity needs, in pursuit of ACBF’s Vision of an Africa Capable of Achieving Its Own Development. I hope you will all join the Foundation on this occasion
Until then, THANK YOU very much again to ALL.
Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie
