The African Development Bank (AfDB)’s Transition States Coordination Office has organized a training workshop to train its Regional Member Countries (RMCs) on the Strategic and Operational Application (SOA) of the Fragility Lens.
The workshop, which was geared towards strengthening the capacity of the bank’s RMCs was held in Yaoundé and was led by Bank staff from several departments, with support from the Bank’s Central Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office.
The training session provided a platform to bolster the Bank’s engagement in fragile settings; mobilized support to successfully deliver on the fragility agenda; and scaled up coordination of initiatives that promote community resilience, particularly regarding institutional capacity, regional stability, and private sector development.
In attendance were over 60 delegates from 25 African countries and 5 Regional Economic Communities.
On behalf of the minister of economy, planning and regional development, the following dignitaries chaired the opening session of the workshop: Serge N’Guessan, Managing Director of the African Development Bank Central African region; Director Yero Baldeh of the Transition States Coordination Office and Dorothy Bekolo, Cameroon government’s Director of Regional Integration.
“The combined effects of fragility factors and the negative impacts of the Coronavirus pandemic, which continue to affect vulnerable groups, require stronger partnerships and a coordinated approach between the African Development Bank Group, Regional Member Countries and Regional Economic Communities to reverse the trend and build long-term resilience.”
Dorothy Bekolo
N’Guessan and Baldeh stressed that fragility could occur in any context, even in countries with strong and stable institutions. The two directors urged participants to heed the lessons of the training as they set national development priorities to alleviate the impacts of fragility.
Representing the Swiss Ambassador, Pietro Lazzeri during the event was Barbara Schuler, Head of the Humanitarian Aid Section at the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC).
SDC, a strategic partner to the African Development Bank in tackling fragility, sponsored the event.
“The partnership between the African Development Bank and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, since 2015, has been mutually beneficial as the insights gained allowed to promote and integrate fragility and resilience programming.”
Schuler
Participants underwent training on the role of African Development Bank facilities and departments in supporting development in vulnerable environments and there, delegates from participating Regional Economic Communities highlighted the significance of establishing regional early warning and response systems for the preventing crisis.
Subsequently, participants developed and shared with the Bank Group, strategies to sustain policy dialogue and capacity building on the annual Country Resilience and Fragility Assessment (CRFA) exercise.
AfDB to provide a $1 million technical assistance to GMFA
According to a press release from the African Development Bank, its Sustainable Energy Fund for Africa (SEFA) will provide a $1 million technical assistance grant to the Green Mobility Facility for Africa (GMFA).
The bank announced in a press release that the SEFA grant will aid in establishing a favorable environment for Electric Vehicles (EVs), as well as in creating EV business models and guidelines for both public and private sectors.
The grant will also aid in developing a financially viable pipeline of e-mobility projects and facilitate regional collaboration and knowledge sharing to stimulate private sector financing in the subsequent investment stage of the GMFA.
GMFA provides technical assistance and investment capital to accelerate and expand private sector investments in sustainable transport solutions in seven countries: Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and South Africa.
“Mobility is a fundamental lifeline that connects people to critical services, jobs, education, and opportunities. The African Development Bank is committed to building a sustainable and more climate-resilient future by catalyzing private investment in low-carbon solutions.
“We believe GMFA will have a tremendous impact on the African market by accelerating the shift to green mobility, reducing over 2,175,000 carbon dioxide equivalent tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions and facilitating the creation of 19,000 full-time jobs.”
Nnenna Nwabufo, the Director-General of the Bank’s East Africa Regional Development and Business Delivery Office
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