African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF)

Partner Description: The African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF) is a pioneer human and institutional capacity building organization for Africa. Founded in 1991. ACBF has spearheaded and robustly coordinated capacity development programs worth some 800 million US dollars across 48 countries and 8 regional economic communities (RECs) in Africa since its inception. ACBF is the go-to institution for expert knowledge and human resources to facilitate the timely implementation of continental and national development agendas. As the African Union’s Specialized Agency for Capacity Development following over 31 years of solid work, the Foundation advises and supports African countries, regional economic communities and institutions on decisive steps to take to develop the practical skills urgently required for the continent’s economic transformation. The Foundation assisted several public, CSO and academic institutions in the continent to create and/or enhance their local capacity in the planning and implementation of their developmental priorities and agendas ACBF has engaged in some cyber capacity building initiatives and programs, which include i) The Africa Capacity Report 2019: Fostering Transformative Leadership for Africa’s Development. Notably assessment 17 is specific about the “institutional and regulatory framework for science, technology, and innovation” ii) The Africa Capacity Report 2017: Building Capacity in Science, Technology and Innovation for Africa’s Transformation, highlights human and institutional capacity challenges and deficits in terms of STI, and calls for urgent attention to develop institutional and human capacity in all areas of STI development and maintenance iii) in 2016, ACBF assisted in project appraisal and selection of a state-of the-art enterprise grade virtual presence technology for Aurum Institute, South Africa. Iv) ACBF acted as lead drafter of a section of the African Union’s digital transformation strategy 2020-2030 v) An ongoing BMGF-funded digital capacity upgrading project for ACBF and its key partners.

GFCE Member Since: 7 June 2021