The African Development Bank (AfDB) Group aims to spur sustainable economic development and social progress in its regional member countries (RMCs), thus contributing to poverty reduction.
Justice and Security Sector Reform Training for the African Development Bank
The Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC) has requested ISSAT support for a training/workshop on Development, Justice and Security Sector Reform (JSSR) to be organized by the African Development Bank (AfDB) for its personnel.
The 3 day training aimed to build capacity within the African Development Bank and to gain a better understanding of JSSR and its role in helping to create a conducive environment for broader, long-term development.
The main objective was to offer an overview of the key JSSR policies, principles and actors. The course also dealt with the highly political nature of JSSR, highlight some of its key challenges on the ground and propose some solutions. Key topics covered included: Introduction to the concept of JSSR; mapping the justice and security sector; Gender and SSR; programming for SSR in fragile and post-conflict states, and the role of non-state actors in JSSR.
Policy and Research Papers
Ending Conflict & Building Peace in Africa: A Call to Action
This report from the African Development Bank’s High-Level Panel on Fragile States draws on commissioned research on conflict and fragility in Africa and on wide consultation with African governments, civil society organisations and citizens. It calls for emphasis within the development agenda in Africa on addressing economic, social and envrironmental change – population growth, the youth bulge, urbanisation, the growth of the extractive industries, and climate disruption and natural resource scarcity.
The report argues that this means building capable and legitimate states, supported by a network of partnerships. Such partnerships include drawing on the resilience and capabilities in the private sector, civil society and within communities, for example in service delivery. In addition, regional frameworks and processes can help to support national resilience.
The African Development Bank could increase its efforts in:
- addressing the multi-dimensional challenge of youth employment;
- providing direct support for private investment in isolated economies;
- empowering women as key actors in peacebuilding and statebuilding and in building livelihoods;
- supporting economic aspects of justice and security, including promoting human security in Africa’s cities; and
- building the capacity of the Regional Economic Communities to pursue regional solutions to drivers of fragility such as natural resource management and the extractive industries.