OREANDA-NEWS. June 18, 2015. The second Africa for Results (AfriK4R) Forum and seventh annual meetings of the African Community of Practice on Managing for Development Results (AfCoP-MfDR) concluded on June 10, 2015 with a renewed commitment to advancing results-oriented regional integration and policy coherence in Africa.

Over 150 delegates of member states of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) examined country and regional progress on improving Africa’s trade, business climate, macroeconomic convergence and public financial management through the AfriK4R initiative.

Supported by the African Development Bank (AfDB), in partnership with the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), the AfCoP and its flagship AfriK4R initiative helps build African MfDR capacity of partner countries and regional economic communities through experience sharing; brainstorming results-oriented development solutions; networking and building strong learning relationships with MfDR practitioners in Africa and around the world.

The three-day meeting was opened in the Ivorian capital of Abidjan by Simon Mizrahi, AfDB’s Director of Quality and Results; Robert Nantchouang, Knowledge Management Expert at ACBF; and Ledule Bosch, AfCoP Co-Chair and South Africa’s Chief Director of Public Service and Administration.

In addition to sharing lessons and best practices from the AfriK4R assessments and regional roadmaps for COMESA and WAEMU, the delegates examined Africa’s landscape of challenges, opportunities, and trends related to economic integration and regional development. A recurring theme throughout the 2015 AfCoP Annual Meetings was the need to address “Africa’s implementation crisis” and to adopt innovative thinking and practices in areas such as public finance, capacity building, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E).

AfDB Regional Integration and Trade Division Manager Moono Mupotola emphasized the importance of strong value chains, trade infrastructure, and adapting best practice and lessons from regions like Asia and Latin America to Africa’s unique needs and objectives. Delegates agreed on the importance of initiatives like the Africa50 infrastructure fund in scaling up trade capacity and the continent’s ability to address challenges like the recent Ebola crisis.

A highlight of the event was a presentation by COMESA Secretariat M&E Head Anne Ndirangu on the recently finalized Tripartite Free Trade Area (TFTA) Agreement between COMESA, the Southern African Development Community and the East African Community. Delegates explored the TFTA’s potential to enhance economic development in North, East and Southern Africa. Trade expert Rose Kabran also shed light on efforts to mainstream results-based management in the WAEMU Secretariat’s operations and to ensure national and regional policy convergence in the region.

AfDB’s Resident Representative in Senegal and AfCoP founding member Lamine N’Dongo highlighted the crucial role of the AfCoP in spurring evidence-based decision-making and program implementation on the continent. His sentiments were echoed in closing remarks by AfCoP Co-Chair Seydou Yaye and AfDB Results Manager and AfCoP Coordinator Victoria Chisala who challenged members to improve upon progress made: “It is now up to you, members of the AfCoP, to support this community, share knowledge and help move forward the implementation of the Africa for results initiative,” Chisala said.

The 2015 AfCoP annual meetings concluded with recommendations and an action plan for improving the progress, skills and knowledge base of stakeholders in government, private sector, civil society, academia and media in mainstreaming results-oriented management for development and shared economic prosperity.