Revived African Civil Society Centre to strengthen actors on emerging development & democracy challenges
Civil Society representatives and experts attending the March 7-8 Ad-Hoc expert group meeting on Assessing the Impact and effectiveness of CSOs and NGOs in promoting governance in Africa endorsed a proposal to revive the African Centre for Civil Society (ACCS). The endorsement was made in recognition of the role CSOs can play in creating more capable, responsive and accountable governments.
The Centre, which suspended activities in 2002 due to funding challenges, is being reinstated by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) in response to increased calls by Member States to “strengthen African CSO capacities in the face of new challenges facing the Continent’s development process.”
“In light of the current development paradigm, which is facing new social and political challenges in the post-Washington Consensus era, Africa needs a vibrant CSO sector that is well equipped to engage effectively,” said
Abdalla Hamdok, Director, Governance and Public Administration Division at the ECA.
He added that the debate being posited by the ECA on ‘governing development’ and the democratic developmental State is interrogating the current paradigm and may require the CSO sector to redefine itself.
On the evolving CSO landscape, Charles Abugre, Regional Director, Millennium Development Challenge pointed out that the economic model adopted by African countries in the 1990s excluded citizens, including urban middle classes and traditional civil society groupings, such as unions.
“As countries across Africa experienced an increasing skewed development policy, the Arusha declaration and the popular expressions of anger due to gaps in essential service provision provided room for growth of independent organizations,” he said.
He noted, however, that in every generation, the character of CSO changes. Today, the economic inequalities are sharper than ever before; a more complex CSO configuration that includes a youthful growing middle class, which is urbanized and concentrated is in place; and new forms of organizing through the use of technologies are rendering the landscape more fluid and complex.
“As CSOs have a special role in expressing the collective will and aspirations of the people, the participation of the masses through their CSOs is an essential aspect of building and strengthening democracy and
good governance,” noted participants.
The meeting recognized that optimal and competent CSO participation is needed in key processes, including Africa’s development framework known as NEPAD and the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM). In addition, UN Member States are in agreement that achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and reducing poverty require a strengthened CSO sector.
The Centre’s portal will explore innovative ways to produce and disseminate knowledge and information, as well as databases to networks of African CSOs. A community dialogue space on the portal will provide a learning platform. It will also enhance the ECA’s ability to engage more effectively with African civil society.
This article was originally posted on Sustainable Development Africa Platform
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