Training

CMAAE under the African Economic Research Consortium (AERC) was launched in September 2005 as an initiative of the African Agricultural Economics Education Network (AAEEN) involving sixteen (16) departments of agricultural economics in 12 countries in the Eastern and Southern Africa region. Adoption of the CMAAE model was informed by a belief in the potential efficiencies accruable from assembling a critical mass of Specialists in particular academic domains in one location and then using it to serve the graduate training needs of a larger regional network of universities. This model has gained widespread acceptance as an innovative mechanism to promote postgraduate education in Africa as it is considered to be more focused in its training approach, delivering a graduate product that is more closely in-tune with national development priorities. The program is being more cost effective since it ensures that synergy by the implementation of coordinated training programmes across a number of universities, both nationally and regionally.

The project has a goal of contributing in the improvement of the policy making process in agricultural sector in Eastern and Southern Africa. Phase IIof the project is running from June 2012 to June 2017.

The second phase of CMAEE has three objectives:

1. Build human capacity for agricultural policy research and analysis in agricultural and applied economics through regional training at the postgraduate level;
2. Strengthen the capacity of participating departments including in teaching delivery and in the use of e-learning and
3. Promote collaborating networks among economists, agricultural specialists and policymakers.

The project has the following components: (i) Training delivery for MSc in Agricultural and Applied Economics; (ii) Capacity strengthening of collaborating institutions and (iii) Networking.

In Dec 2010 the ACBF Executive Board approved an emergency grant of US$ 2,250,000 for three years to assist the Government of South Sudan (GoSS) in strengthening economic policy and public financial management (PFM) in the post-independent South Sudan. The project was signed on 6 June 2012 after the appraisal of the project in 2011 with technical support of ACBF to identify urgent capacity needs and to propose appropriate strategies in order to effectively perform the selected Government core functions. The project was later on restructured to focus on training of the public service from Masters to short-term training programs of the public service, supply of office and research equipment to the University of Juba and experience sharing visits to countries in the region. UNDP grant also joined the ACBF grant from 2013 onwards.

The project focuses on strengthening fiduciary functions through human and institutional support to the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning (MoFEP),Ministry of Labor, Public Service and Human Resources Development (MoLPSHRD),Bank of South Sudan (BoSS), University of Juba and the Audit Chamber. The project is running from June 2012 up to August 2016.

The overall goal of the EPM-Makerere program, like the siste EPM programs supported by ACBF, is to “Improve efficiency of the public sector in Uganda as well as in East and Southern African countries, through the enhancement of capacity for Economic Policy Analysis and Management”. In the three phases so far completed (Phase I, II and III) and Phase IV running from September 2012 to September 2017, this goal is being achieved through the following specific objectives;

• Strengthening of the institutional and human capacity of Makerere University to offer a graduate-level program in economic policy management,
• Training of a critical mass of relevant mid-level officers in Economic Policy Management from the East, Central and Southern African countries and equip them with the required professional skills and attitudes.

The EPM-Makerere as a regional programme has become a main instrument in supporting regional integration by providing both a training and think tank platform for institution building and support to the regional organizations in order to increase their capacity to develop regional policies and enforce their implementation. Participants drawn from the region are engaged in action-learning sessions to focus on the problems and /or challenges facing the region and to participate actively in the formulation and implementation of regional integration policies.

The Cote d’Ivoire country program is set to address the capacity constraints that hamper the country’s performance in the area of economic governance, which is the first concern of the Ivorian population.

The goal of the program is to contribute to the improvement and efficiency of the economic governance in Cote d’Ivoire. The specific objectives are to strengthen the Prospective, Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Monitoring Evaluation Chain (PPPBSE Chain); enhance the accountability system; foster the performance of the capacity development institutions; and professionalize the voices of the private sector and civil society.

The National Administration and Judicial Institute (ENAM) was created in 1963 by the government as the lead institution in the design and coordination of training and professional development activities for civil servants. ENAM provides foundational training for civil servants of various categories to develop a critical mass of indigenous competencies in public administration. In-service training to meet specialized and emerging needs is also provided. ENAM faces challenges in terms of lack of human and institutional capacity to effectively perform its functions.

The goal of PROFAP is to improve the effectiveness of the civil service in Chad to manage the country’s development agenda. The objective is to strengthen the skills and competencies of civil servants in Chad by improving access to training. The main strategy of PROFAP is to build sustainable institutional capacity of ENAM to develop and manage training activities.

In 2007, the Foundation supported the Government of Central African Republic (CAR) in its capacity-building efforts towardsestablishing the “Projet de Renforcement des Capacités en Statistiques de la RepubliqueCentrafricaine (PRCS)‟  to strengthenthecapacity of the National Statistics Bureau (ICASEES) to produce national accounts, pricestatistics, social and demographic data on a regular and timely basis.

The main goal of the project is to contribute to the long-term development of the national statistical system in CAR for economic growth and poverty reduction. The specific objectives of the project are to: (i) Improve the quality of statistical data produced by InstitutCentrafricain des Statistiques et des Etudes Economiques (ICASEES) and the peripheral statistic units in line ministries and DélégationsRégionales du Plan (DRP) to routinely produce reliable and up-to-date statistical information for decision processes and monitoring of progress towards development goals (ii) Increase the number of skilled statisticians available to the government through the establishment of a scholarship scheme for certificate and diploma studies in statistics (iii) Contribute to the design, implementation and the monitoring of the National Strategy for Development of Statistics.

The project’s goal is to improve performance and productivity of the public sector in the Anglophone West African countries. The specific objectives are to (i) Strengthen the Masters Degree program in Public Sector Management to meet the current and emerging issues in the Public Sector (ii) Enhance the institutional and human capacity of GIMPA to meet the current and emerging public sector issues (iii) Strengthen the institutional and human capacities of IPAs to deliver in country PSMTP programs.

The Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA) is a Pan-African social science research council headquartered in Dakar, Senegal. Set up in1973, CODESRIA‟s main mandate is to promote social science research in all regions of Africa.

The goal of CODESRIA Capacity Building Project is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of research and research outputs of African scholars and, in so doing, contribute to for the production of knowledge that would both be a significant contribution to global knowledge about governance and development, and help in finding answers to the development challenges faced by Africa.

The CODERIA Capacity Building Project Phase II has the following objectives: To strengthen the research capacity and writing skills of young African scholars, so that they can conduct quality research meeting the challenges of development in Africa; To familiarize young researchers to the multidisciplinary nature of research in social sciences in Africa; To get young researchers working within networks beyond the geographical and disciplinary linguistic barriers to ensure scientific relief and an African presence in global scientific debate; To strengthen research centres to enable them to be effective hosts, partners and relays of CODESRIA research capacity building programmes.

The Economic Policy Management Program (EPM) was set up in 1994 as a response to Africa’s needs for skilled experts in economic policy research and analysis that could provide informed opinion to policy makers on various macroeconomic stabilization measures, development management issues and poverty reduction. Two EPM programs were initially established at universities in Canada and France and in 1998 the programs were transferred to four Africa Partner Universities (APUs) in Ghana, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon. The African Building Capacity Foundation (ACBF) in partnership with the World Bank Institute has been the main sponsor of the Economic Policy Management program in Africa. With support from ACBF, EPM-Ghana implemented its first, second and third programs (EPM Phases I, II and III) over the period 2000 to 2012. At its 47^th Regular Meeting, in April 2002, the Executive Board approved a grant total of US$ 3.65 million to EPM Ghana for the financing of Phase IV of the project.

The overall goal of the EPM program is to improve the efficiency of the public sector in sub-Saharan African countries through the enhancement of capacity for economic policy analysis and management.

The Economic Policy Management Program (EPM) was set up in 1994 as a response to Africa’s needs for skilled experts in economic policy research and analysis that could provide informed opinion to policy makers on various macroeconomic stabilization measures, development management issues and poverty reduction. Two EPM programs were initially established at universities in Canada and France and in 1998 the programs were transferred to four Africa Partner Universities (APUs) in Ghana, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon. The African Building Capacity Foundation (ACBF) in partnership with the World Bank Institute has been the main sponsor of the Economic Policy Management program in Africa.

The overall goal of the EPM program is to improve the efficiency of the public sector in sub-Saharan African countries through the enhancement of capacity for economic policy analysis and management.

The Economic Policy Management Program (EPM) was set up in 1994 as a response to Africa’s needs for skilled experts in economic policy research and analysis that could provide informed opinion to policy makers on various macroeconomic stabilization measures, development management issues and poverty reduction. Two EPM programs were initially established at universities in Canada and France and in 1998 the programs were transferred to four Africa Partner Universities (APUs) in Ghana, Uganda, Cote d’Ivoire and Cameroon. The African Building Capacity Foundation (ACBF) in partnership with the World Bank Institute has been the main sponsor of the Economic Policy Management program in Africa. With support from ACBF, EPM-Cameroon implemented its first and second programs (EPM Phases I, II). In December 2006 the Executive Board approved a grant total of US$ 2.9 million to EPM Cameroon for the financing of Phase III of the project.

The overall goal of the EPM program is to improve the efficiency of the public sector in sub-Saharan African countries through the enhancement of capacity for economic policy analysis and management.

The Centre Africain d’Etudes Supérieures en Gestion (CESAG) was established in 1985 and taken over in 1995 by the Banque Centrale des Etats de l’Afrique de l’Ouest (BCEAO) on behalf of the Union Monétaire Ouest Africaine/West African Economic and Monetary Union(UEMOA/WAEMU) to undertake training, research and consulting in management as means to achieve regional integration in West Africa.

The Banking and Finance Master’s Degree Program at the Centre Africain d’Etudes Supérieures en Gestion (CESAG) was approved by the Executive board of ACBF in November 2000 (Phase I) and in May 2006 (Phase II) with the overall goal to improve the macroeconomic environment of countries of the Economic and Monetary Union of West Africa (UEMOA) in particular and other African countries in general through the training of a pool of highly competent professionals that meet international standards in the areas of corporate banking and finance. The development goal of CESAG-MBF Phase III is to improve financial management and accountability of African countries in the areas of corporate banking, risk management and capital markets. The immediate objectives of CESAG’s MBF Project (Phase III) are to: (i) Maintain the sustainability of the Masters’ Degree in Corporate Business and Finance (MBF) within CESAG; (ii) Increase the skills of middle and high-level African professionals in banking and financial management; and (iii) Improve the visibility of Masters’ degree in Corporate Business and Finance in networking with relevant professional associations, training institutions and corporations.

The ACBF – AIST program was developed at the request of three African Institutions of Science and Technology and the Nelson Mandela Institution, a Pan-African body with a vision to promote excellence in science and engineering education in Africa. This joint proposal from three of Africa’s centers of excellence in Science education represents ACBF’s contribution to address Africa’s need to develop its homegrown capacity in sciences and technology innovations. In 2012 the Executive Board approved a combined grant of US$ 10.5 million in support of the three Science and Technology centers of excellence in Burkina Faso, Nigeria and Tanzania as well as the coordinating institution (NMI).

The goal of the project is to strengthen institutional, technical and managerial capabilities of the NM-AIST in order to enhance its effectiveness as a world class institution by providing the best facilities for graduate and post-doc studies and research that would facilitate bridging between research and industrial development through effective technological innovations for sustainable economic development of the continent.

Femmes Africa Solidarité (FAS) is a women’s organization created in 1996 by African women leaders using international instruments such as the Beijing Platform for Action (1995) and UN Resolution (2000) as its main conceptual frameworks for guiding its programmes.  Since its inception, FAS has worked relentlessly at the forefront in the promotion of leadership and participation of women in conflict prevention, management and resolution continent wide. On the 3^rd of August 2012 ACBF and FAS signed a US$ 2.5 million grant agreement towards a Masters’ degree in Gender and Peace Building. 

The project is aimed at: (i) Enhancing institutional and human capacity for media organizations in West Africa (ii) Strengthening legal protection mechanism for media practitioners (iii) Improving working environment for journalists, by promoting advocacy initiatives for freedom of expression.

The West African Institute for Financial and Economic Management (WAIFEM) is a collaborative sub-regional capacity building organization established in July 1996 by the central banks of five Anglophone West African countries.  The mission of the Institute is to develop, on a sustainable regional basis, human and institutional expertise in the field of macroeconomic, fiscal, debt and financial management for central banks, ministries of finance and economic planning, and other public sector institutions with macroeconomic management responsibilities.

The overall objective of WAIFEM is to strengthen capacity for debt, financial and economic management in the relevant institutions in Anglophone West African countries, with particular attention to Liberia and Sierra Leone as post conflict countries.