Introduction
Michel A. Dessart
On behalf of the African Development Bank (ADB), the International Monetary
Fund (IMF), and the World Bank, I am pleased, as the first Director of
the Joint Africa Institute (JAI), to present below the proceedings of
the Inaugural Seminar.
The establishment of the JAI reflects the strong commitment of the three
institutions to a close collaboration that responds to the critical learning
needs of countries throughout Africa. The three institutions are committed
to capacity building in Africa. I am confident that the activities of
the JAI will enhance the institutional capacity of national governments
to better manage their economies and will contribute to economic development
in Africa.
As a reflection of this, the Institute selected the theme "Capacity
Building, Governance, and Economic Reform in Africa" for its Inaugural
Seminar. The seminar had two main objectives. First, it was to introduce
the JAI to a large audience and to obtain immediate feedback on its mission
and program. Second, it was to provide participants from multilateral
institutions, the African public sector, and African academics with a
forum, in which to discuss approaches to improving systems of governance
and finding workable capacity-building solutions to Africa's economic
development process.
The seminar gathered about 130 participants, including the Prime Minister
of Côte d'Ivoire, central bank governors, ministers, senior government
officials, professionals from the academics and regional training institutions;
the African Development Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the
World Bank were represented by the president, vice-presidents, executive
directors, heads of departments, directors and deputy directors of their
respective training institutes and other professionals (see the list of
participants in the Attachment).
This volume comprises the addresses and presentations made during the
five sessions of the seminar. Summarized comments from participants at the end of each session are also included. In addition to the Opening
Session which broadly addressed the theme of the Seminar, four separate
panels were organised on the following sub-topics: the Changing Role
of the State, Governance, and New Capacity Requirements; the Challenge
of Achieving Macroeconomic Stability in Africa; Requirement for Capacity
Building in Africa; and the Role of the International Financial Institutions
(IFIs) in Capacity Building in Africa.
The Opening Session consisted of four addresses. They
were delivered by Mr. Omar Kabbaj, President of the ADB, Mr. Michel Camdessus,
Managing Director of the IMF (by videotape), Mr. Vinod Thomas, Director
of the World Bank Institute (WBI), on behalf of Mr. Wolfensohn, President
of the World Bank, and Mr. Kablan Duncan, Prime Minister of Côte
d'Ivoire. The speakers welcomed the continued collaboration between the
three JAI sponsoring institutions. They highlighted the considerable benefits
Africa will realize as these institutions bring together the best of their
training capacities directly to the region. They regarded the establishment
of the JAI as "a new milestone in the enhancement of economic and financial
training opportunities in Africa".
The second session, chaired by Mr. T. Thiam, Minister of Planning and
Development of Côte d'Ivoire, reviewed the Changing Role of
the State, Governance, and New Capacity Requirements. The speakers,
namely Messrs. T. Thiam (Côte d'Ivoire), H. Kifle (ADB), G. Abed
(IMF), and V. Thomas (World Bank), discussed the emerging new role of
the state. This role includes ensuring peace and macroeconomic stability,
promoting good governance and sound economic management, enhancing political
democracy, and creating a conducive environment for the promotion of the
private sector.
The third session, under the chairmanship of Mr. G. Gondwe (IMF), was
devoted to the Challenge of Achieving Macroeconomic Stability in
Africa. Two papers were presented by Mr. K. Botchwey, former Ghanaian
Minister of Finance, and Mr. M. Touré, former Senegalese Minister
of Finance, after an introductory statement by the Chairman. The speakers
stated that, although achieving macroeconomic stabilization was still
an important objective for many countries, the main issues at stake now
were promoting good governance, reducing corruption, and especially alleviating
poverty.
The fourth session, which dealt with the Requirement for Capacity
Building in Africa, was chaired by BCEAO Governor K. Banny. There
were three papers presented, and introductory remarks by the Chairman.
The three speakers, namely, Mrs. R. Nankabirwa, Uganda's Minister of State,
Mrs. J. Bonkoungou (Burkina Faso), and Mr. J. Sulemane (Mozambique),
agreed that high-level skills and well-functioning institutions were necessary
for the sustainability of economic development. African countries and
their training institutions must however be deeply involved in the process
of capacity building.
The fifth session, chaired by Mr. O.B. Olsen, Ambassador of Denmark
to Ghana, dealt with the Role of International Financial Institutions
(IFIs) in Capacity Building in Africa. After a brief address,
the Chairman called on members of the panel to make their presentation.
The various roles played by the ADB, the IMF, and the World Bank in capacity
building, particularly in Africa, were highlighted by Mr. C. Enweze (ADB),
Mr. S. Nsouli (IMF), and Mr. B. Levy (World Bank) respectively. Participants
agreed that weak capacity critically hindered development.
In his closing remarks, Mr. Chanel Boucher, Vice-President of the African
Development Bank, underscored the Seminar's recommendations to the JAI:
that the JAI provide more Africans with high quality training; that its
program have a truly African focus; and that it offer specific training
that complements, not duplicates, the training provided by other institutions.
|
