Dear All,

This message is an invitation to join a e-exchange over the coming weeks on promoting learning on capacity development in Africa.

My name is Lawrencia Adams (Ms), a development consultant based in Accra, Ghana. With this message I am inviting you to join a reflection on how usefully to promote learning on and practice change in capacity development in the Africa region. This consultation is supported by the OECD/Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and the Learning Network on Capacity Development (LenCD). The objective is to explore how CD learning can usefully be promoted building on African institutions, processes, experiences and knowledge resources.  By July we hope to have a better idea of how to strengthen a CD learning platform in the region that would also  help to promote the implementation of the commitments made in the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA)

The invitation for this discussion is cast widely. If you want to join, please sign up for this discussion at the Google mail list created for this purpose:

•  Group name: cdplatformafrica
  Group home page: http://groups.google.com.gh/group/cdplatformafrica
  Group email address cdplatformafrica@googlegroups.com

The key questions to be addressed include:

·         What are the ongoing initiatives in Africa that already promote learning on capacity development?

·         Which institution, networks, etc. are well placed to play a role on promoting CD learning?

·         What knowledge resources are available and used in the region to address the priority areas relating to capacity development as reflected in the AAA.

·         How best to conceive a CD learning platform that would respond to genuine demand and be of wide use in Africa.

·         Who should we consult with?

·         What interface capacity is needed in Africa to engage similar initiatives in other regions and across the globe.

We are proposing to use the first couple of weeks for an initial round of contributions and for establishing the mail group, that will remain open for new arrivals.

We are then proposing to go into more depth by focusing each subsequent week on another thematic area that has emerged as critical. The discussion itself may yield further areas or suggest to drill deeper in some. We are envisaging the following sequence:

Week of 1 June 2009

General reactions to the approach and objective of promoting CD learning in Africa.

Week of 8 June 2009

1.       Civil society and private sector engagement, ownership & accountability 

Week of 15 June 2009

2.       Technical Cooperation, quality standards, South-South cooperation, genuine demand and supply of TC. Management of development assistance (roles and responsibilities of Government: Policy engagement with State

3.        

Week of 22 June 2009

4.       Strategies for service delivery at national, sub-national, sectoral and thematic levels

Week of 29 June 2009

5.       Enabling environment including  incentive systems 

Week of 6 July 2009

6.       Country systems capacity, including aid management, performance monitoring, procurement, results based management,  

Week of 13 July 2009

7.       Capacity development in fragile situations 

You will receive a framing note for each week’s discussion and the consultations will be summarized on a weekly basis. In parallel to the e-discussion a targeted consultation processes are taking place with key actors in the Africa region.

By mid July we will share the emerging recommendations for further vetting before the report is finalized by the end of July. It will contain concrete proposals on how to promote CD learning in Africa well attuned with needs and existing initiatives.

We hope you will find it worthwhile to join this exchange and look forward to welcoming you on the Google list. You can also send me a message in case of questions, ideas or if I should add you to this list.