Coalition for Dialogue on Africa Meeting ends with Far-Reaching Decisions

source: Republic of Botswana (14/3/10) TAUTONA TIMES no 4 of 2010
The Electronic Press Circular of the Office of the President
"Democracy, Development, Dignity, Discipline and Delivery"


C12) 2/3/10: Coalition for Dialogue on Africa Meeting ends with Far-Reaching Decisions

Tunis - A two-day Board meeting of the Coalition for Dialogue on Africa (CoDA), hosted by the African Development Bank (AfDB), ended on Sunday, February 28, 2010 in Tunis, with the adoption of far reaching-decisions. It was CoDA's third Board Meeting, after its launch on May 6, 2009 in Addis Ababa and its second Board meeting held on November 28, 2009, in Tunis. This latest meeting, was chaired by former Botswana President, Festus Mogae, and covered, among other items, two major issues, namely: the institutional transformation of CoDA; and CoDA's 2010 work program.

Concerning the issue of institutional transformation the discussions centred on making CoDA an independent non-governmental and non-profit African initiative. In this regard, participants reviewed the prospective legal status of CoDA as well as sources of funding for its activities.

CoDA's 2010 work program was the other major agenda item of the meeting. In addition to that programme CoDA will also be involved in:

* Studies and discussions on key issues on African development such as integration and development financing

* Advocacy work for Africa's development, placing emphasis on key issues such as regional integration, governance, the financial crisis and climate change;

* Sensitizing the international community on the continent's development needs and helping to mobilize goodwill and resources for the attainment of its development objectives;

* Transforming CoDA as an institution to endow it with a Chief Executive Officer and lean secretariat to ensure its effectiveness and especially its independence from its founding institutions, namely, the African Development Bank (AfDB), the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and the African Union Commission (AUC).

CoDA is sponsored by, but is not a program of, the AUc, the UNECA and the AfDB. It is governed by a Board of eminent African and non-African personalities, and receives support from private sector. CoDA is therefore a new, independent, international, African-owned forum that identifies and discusses issues of importance to Africa's development within a global context. It is a think-tank that advocates for the continent, brings together a range of stakeholders to promote dialogue, and provides a platform for African voices to be heard. It is policy-oriented, and works in collaboration with other African and international organizations addressing issues of Africa's security, peace, governance and development.

The next CoDA meeting will be held on May 25, 2010 on the margins of the AfDB Annual Meetings in Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire.