OREANDA-NEWS. Members of the African Community of Practice (AfCoP) Steering Committee met on September 14 in Abidjan to review performance and provide strategic guidance on the African Development Bank-executed AfCoP project.

The AfCoP project, valued at US $12.6 million, is geared at promoting results-based development, evidence-based decision-making, and regional integration on the continent through knowledge and best practice solution sharing. Funded under the multi-donor African Development Fund, it is implemented by the AfCoP Secretariat, which is managed by the Bank’s Quality Assurance and Results (ORQR) and Human and Social Development (OSHD) Departments.

Steve Kayizzi-Mugerwa, the Bank’s Acting Chief Economist and Vice-President, and AfCoP Steering Committee chair, highlighted the AfCoP project’s uniqueness in enhancing regional integration and managing for development results capacity on the continent. Echoing his sentiments, Quality Assurance and Results Department Director Simon Mizrahi emphasized the importance of the project as it responds to the Bank’s commitment to support the development effectiveness agenda in regional member countries, including strengthening transparency and accountability. Human and Social Development Acting Director Sunita Pitamber encouraged the Steering Committee members to explore options for improving the project’s delivery, effectiveness and sustainability.

Sharing on the project’s progress, Victoria Chisala, Division Manager for Results Reporting and AfCoP Secretariat Coordinator, cited its contributions in improving public financial management, monitoring and evaluation, and policy coherence across Africa.

A second meeting of the Steering Committee is planned for October 2015.

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The African Community of Practice (AfCoP) is a coalition of over 3,500 development leaders and practitioners from 68 countries globally. AfCoP members work for African governments, civil society, and as independent experts in the field. The African Development Bank (AfDB), in partnership with the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), is supporting AfCoP in mainstreaming MfDR on the continent with a focus on regional integration.

The Africa for Results (AfriK4R) initiative, AfCoP’s flagship program, aims to promote regional integration in Africa through the use of managing for development results (MfDR) principles and practices. To date, 17 countries have committed to the AfriK4R initiative, namely Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, C?te d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania, Togo, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. The West African Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) and Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) regional economic communities are also partners on the AfriK4R initiative.