2010

APRN Executive Committee Meeting

December 20, 2010

The Executive Committee of the African Parliamentary Poverty Reduction Network (APRN) met in Accra, Ghana on 20 December 2010. The deliberations at the meeting were focused on exploring pathways for the sustainability of the APRN Support Initiative project as the support from the Austrian Development Cooperation nears completion point.
The Executive Committee plays a leading role in the development of the APRN and is responsible among other things to review past activities of the network; plan and discuss the direction of APRN; and review work plans, budgets, areas and issues of focus for the coming year.

Financial Oversight Functions of Parliamentarians: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Government Budget Analysis

October 25 - 29, 2010

A total of 12 MPs and 4 Parliamentary Staff from Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali, Rwanda and Senegal took part in this activity which aimed at enhancing the capacity of parliamentarians to perform their financial oversight functions; and to equip them with tools with which to analyze government budgets particularly identifying pro-poor and gender equity programs.

This training program is supported financially by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and took place at the Learning Centre in Accra, Ghana.

Enhancing the Capacity of Parliamentary Committees and Parlamentary Staff to Assure Effective Financial Oversight Functions of Parliamentarians

September 6 - 10, 2010

The Parliamentary Centre (PC) in collaboration with the Parliament of Botswana and supported financially by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA)  organized a five-day staff training workshop on Professional Development for Parliamentary Staff under the theme “Enhancing the Capacity of Parliamentary Committees and Parliamentary Staff to Assure Effective Financial Oversight Functions of Parliamentarians”.

The workshop took place in Gaborone, Botswana from September 6-10, 2010. The target audience for this workshop were parliamentary staff from partner parliaments in the Southern African region namely Botswana, Malawi, and Zimbabwe. The object of the training workshop primarily was to strengthen the capacity of parliamentary staff to effectively provide support to parliamentarians to perform their financial oversight functions; to equip participants with tools with which to execute multi-task responsibilities; and to create a platform for participants to share country experiences on the role of parliamentary staff in the budget process.  

For the full report clik here

Financial Oversight Functions of Parliamentarians: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Government Budget Analysis

August 30 -31, 2010

A two - day In-country Francophone training workshop was held in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso for 25 MPs and 5 Parliamentary Staff of the National Assembly of Burkina Faso. This activity aimed at strengthening the capacity of parliamentarians to perform their financial oversight functions; and to equip them with tools with which to analyze government budgets particularly identifying pro-poor and gender equity programs. This training program was supported financially by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA).

Financial Oversight Functions of Parliamentarians: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Government Budget Analysis

July 26 - 30, 2010

3 MPs and 1 Parliamentary Staff each from Ghana, Malawi and Zimbabwe took part in this activity which aims at strengthening the capacity of parliamentarians to perform their financial oversight functions; and to equip them with tools with which to analyze government budgets particularly identifying pro-poor and gender equity programs. This training program is supported financially by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and took place at the Learning Centre in Accra, Ghana.

For the full report clik here

April 19, 2010, Kampala, Uganda

Executive Committee Meeting

The Executive Committee of APRN met in Kampala on April 19, 2010. On the agenda was:

1. Review/highlights of last APRN Conference, AGM and Election of Executive Committee Report-

2. Update on recent activities-

• 2009 Annual Report to ADA (key highlights and results)
• Training on budgetary oversight for Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda (March 15-19, 2010)

3. Work plan for 2010 / Upcoming activities:

• Parliamentary Staff training: Anglophone countries ( April 2010 postponed to May 2010), Francophone countries (August 2010)
• Budget training-MPs/staff: Francophone countries (Sept.2010), Anglophone countries (Oct. 2010)
• In-country trainings MPs/Staff (Francophone & Anglophone –dates & countries to be determined)

4. Publications:

• Handbook on poverty reduction
• Articles for next issue of APRN Newsletter (June 2010)

5. Second phase of project with ADA and update on funding status

6. Sustainability of APRN

7. A. O. B

Committee members present were:

• Hon. William Okecho (Uganda)- Chairman
• Hon. Koala Kabore K. Aline  (Burkina Faso) -Vice Chairperson
• Hon.  Clement Kofi  Humado (Ghana) Member
• Hon. Gaye Ndeye Cissé   (Senegal) Member
• Hon. Agnes  Penumlungu   (Malawi) Member 
• Hon. Emmanuel M. Hachipuka    (Zambia) Member

March 15-19, 2010, Accra, Ghana

Financial Oversight Functions of Parliamentarians: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Government Budget Analysis

MPs and Parliamentary Staff from Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda and Tanzania are invited to take part in this activity which aims at strengthening the capacity of parliamentarians to perform their financial oversight functions; and to equip them with tools with which to analyze government budgets particularly identifying pro-poor and gender equity programs.

This training program is supported financially by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and will take place at the Learning Centre in Accra, Ghana.

For full report on this activity click here

2009

November 9-13, 2009, Accra, Ghana

Parliaments and Financial Oversight: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Budget Analysis

Three MPs and one committee clerk from Ghana, Malawi, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe respectively were invited to participate at this training workshop. The budget training program is supported financially by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and took place at the Learning Centre in Accra, Ghana. The training objectives of the workshop sought to strengthen capacity of parliamentarians to perform their financial oversight function, to equip members of parliament and their committee staff with tools with which to analyze government budgets particularly identifying pro-poor and gender equity programs. It also aimed to provide  a platform for members to interact and share country experiences.

For the full report from this meeting, please click here

October 22, 2009, Dakar, Senegal

Annual General Meeting / APRN Executive Committee Meeting

The African Parliamentary Poverty Reduction Network, APRN, held its Annual General Meeting in Dakar, Senegal. It offered an opportunity to look at the growth and activities of the APRN over the past year and to define courses of action for the future. In addition, re-elections and elections of new members to the APRN Executive Committee took place. Following the AGM, the new APRN Executive Committee met.

Fore more information about this meeting click here

October 19-21, 2009, Dakar, Senegal

APRN Conference: Parliaments, Poverty Reduction and the Budget Process

The Parliamentary Centre, in cooperation with the National Assembly of Senegal, organized a regional conference entitled Parliaments, Poverty Reduction and the Budget Process October 19-21, 2009 in Dakar, Senegal. The Conference was attended by Members of Parliament from 12 different countries in Anglophone and Francophone Africa, as well as representatives from organisations such as the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), North South Institute, and ADA. It was an opportunity to discuss important issues relating to poverty reduction and how the budget can serve as an important tool in this regard. The presentations and group discussions focused on the following areas:

1. Pro-Poor Policies and Budgeting. The Role of Parliament/Parliamentarians

• What policies/programs are considered pro-poor? Examples of policy priorities.
• What type of consultation conducted to achieve broad consensus? Advantages and challenges with various forms of consultations.
• Are the views of the poor and vulnerable solicited and how?
• How are these policy priorities reflected in the budget?
• Role of MTEFs - How do they relate to the MDGs, PRSPs and other National Development Plans?

Read More

September 28-October 2, 2009, Accra, Ghana

Parliaments and Financial Oversight: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Budget Analysis

Three MPs and one committee clerk from Benin, Mali, and Senegal respectively participated at this training workshop. The budget training program is supported financially by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and took place at the Learning Centre in Accra, Ghana.

June 2-5, 2009, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Parliament and Financial Oversight: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Government Budget Analysis

An in-country Budget Oversight training was held in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania at the request of the Tanzanian Parliament for their parliamentarians and parliamentary committee staff. This training, the first of its kind, formed part of the support from the Austrian Development Agency and Parliamentary Centre (PC) that focuses on training MPs and Parliamentary staff on Financial Oversight Function of Parliamentarians. 30 MPs and committee staff took part of this training.

May 16-24, 2009, Accra, Ghana
The Role of Parliamentary Staff and Parliamentary Committees during the Budget Process

The second training for parliamentary staff took place in Accra, Ghana in May 2009. This time, the material from the first and second phase was presented on one occasion instead of two, as it had shown difficult to ensure the availability of all participants on two different occasions. The 18 participating staff came from Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Zambia. This training saw the addition of the training unit “The revenue side of the budget”, and some of the other training modules were combined during the presentation to be able to cover as much as possible during the eight day training. More time was given to properly learn the practical tools LFA and Community Score Card. The latter was also tested during a field visit to Asempanaye, a farming community located in the Akwapim North District in the Eastern region of Ghana. The purpose of the field visit was to oversee how the government policies on free compulsory and universal basic education was lived up to, as well as the impact of the government capitation grant and its food programs that benefit some communities, but not others, Asempanaye included. The participants were able to meet with various service providers, such as the District School Board representative, the regional MP, several teachers etc. They were also able to meet with the beneficiaries, who were divided into three groups, i.e. adult women, adult men and children and youth during the implementation of the the Community Score Card (CSC) methodology. Each group was able to identify key issues and/or problems in relation to education, and then the results from the scoring was presented to the service providers during a community interface. The service providers were then given an opportunity to respond to these issues and concerns, which gave the community members an opportunity to hear firsthand how the service providers were going to proceed.

For the full report, please click here.

April 1, 2009, Accra, Ghana
Executive Committee Meeting

The Executive Committee of APRN met in Accra on April 1, 2009. On the agenda was:

• Update on recent past activities
• Workplan for 2009/Upcoming activities
• Annual General Meeting (AGM)
• Second phase of the African Poverty Reduction Support Initiative Project
• Sustainability of APRN
• Other

Present Committee members were:

1. Hon. Anne S. Makinda, Tanzania Parliament - Chair
2. Hon. William Okecho, Uganda Parliament
3. Hon. Idrissa Adamou, National Assembly of Niger - Vice-Chair
4. Hon. Kissima Mangane, National Assembly of Mali

March 16-20, 2009, Accra, Ghana
Parliament and Financial Oversight: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Government Budget Analysis

The first budgetary oversight training in 2009 took place March 16-20, with 11 Members of Parliament and 5 committee staff participating from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Tanzania. This training saw the additions of two training units, i.e. the Revenue side of the budget, which had been requested by participants at a previous training, and HIV/AIDS and the budget.

For the full report, please click here.

February 2-6, 2009, Accra, Ghana
The Role of Parliamentary Staff and Parliamentary Committees during the Budget Process

The second phase of the training took place in Accra, Ghana February 2-6, 2009. All the same participants, except the committee clerks from Zambia who were in the middle of their country’s budget process, partook in the training. This phase was focused on equipping the parliamentary staff with tools to better assist MPs and parliamentary committees in their legislative and oversight roles:

• Role of Parliamentary Committees and Parliamentary Staff in Ensuring Committee Effectiveness
• Introduction to Parliamentary Research
• Effective Tools for Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation
  • The Logical Framework Approach
  • Participatory Tools for Monitoring and Evaluation
• Transparency, Participation and Outreach
• Information Management and ICT

This second phase also included a filed visit to a local community in central Ghana called Gomoa Fetteh. The objective of the field visit was to conduct a pilot study on community assessment of development issues whereby parliamentary committee staff from Kenya, Uganda and South Sudan would interact with community members and promote dialogue on livelihood issues confronting the community. Through the engagement, the community members had the opportunity to identify key problems faced in the community and assessed the problems relative to performance of service providers and assign scores by using the Community Score Card (CSC) methodology.

Part of the objective with the training was to test the developed training material on the participants in order to get input on its relevance, usefulness and accessibility; the existence of information gaps; and on how to improve it in order to reflect their needs better. During discussions, the participants expressed that the training material did indeed meet many of their needs for information knowledge, and useful suggestions were also made with a view to improving the content of the training manual and the presentations, for example allowing for more time on various practical tools such as LFA, CSC and the Citizen Report Card. They also highlighted several areas where additional focus is needed, for example on revenue mobilization in relation to the budget process; how current issues, such as the ongoing economic meltdown, can affect development; and various templates and tools for record-keeping and report writing. During 2009, this training for parliamentary staff will continue, taking into account some of these important comments and inputs.

For the full report, please click here.

2008

October 27-30, 2008
Wilton Park "Enhancing the Effectiveness of Parliaments: Challenges and Opportunities"

The 934th Wilton Park Conference under the theme “Enhancing the Effectiveness of Parliaments: Challenges and Opportunities” was organised in cooperation with the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), Department for International Development (DFID), World Bank Institute (WBI) and the Parliamentary Centre (PC). The Conference, which was heavily subscribed with ninety five participants from across the globe, took place October 27th to October 30th, 2008. Participants ranged from Non-Governmental Organizations, Government Agencies such as USAID, DFID, CIDA, Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), and Parliamentary Centre (PC). Also represented were Members of Parliament from selected African countries, South Asia, the Caribbean, Latin America and Europe.

PC, with funding from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), sponsored eight African Members of Parliament from Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania.

During the three-day conference, the following themes on enhancing the effectiveness of parliaments were presented and debated:

• Promoting Parliamentary Effectiveness: The Current State of Play and the Road Ahead
• Parliaments Strengthening Initiatives: Lessons Learnt and Good Practice
• Comparative Regional Perspectives on Parliamentary Perspectives (1): Latin America, SE Asia, The Pacific and Middle East
• Comparative Regional Perspectives on Parliamentary Effectiveness (2): Africa
• The Role of Parliaments in Fragile and Conflict Affected State 
• Parliaments and the Political Context
• Parliaments and Parliamentary Strengthening-A view from the South and Transition Countries
• The Role of Parliaments in Poverty Reduction and the Promotion of Gender Equality
• Understanding and Engaging with Political Parties
• Parliamentary Benchmarks and Initiative

For the full report, please click here.

September 29-October 3, 2008, Kampala, Uganda
The Role of Parliamentary Staff and Parliamentary Committees during the Budget Process

The first phase of this pilot training for parliamentary staff on their role during the budget process was hosted by the Parliament of Uganda and took place in Kampala September 29-October 3, 2008. The training workshop included 17 parliamentary staff from Kenya, Tanzania, Sudan, Uganda and Zambia. The purpose of this pilot training, in addition to increase the capacity and effectiveness of parliamentary staff in supporting Members of Parliament during the budget process, was to test the developed training material on the participants. Their input and comments during the training will therefore be very important to ensure that this training material reflects the need of parliamentary staff increasingly for future trainings. The training specifically covered the following areas:

• Introduction to the budget process
• Budget preparation and drafting stage
• Actors in budget preparation
• Role of Budget Offices
• Legislative stage of the budget
• Legislative Processes and Procedures
• Issues to consider in Budget Approval
  • The budget and the national development framework
  • The budget and the MDGs
  • Pro-poor Budgeting
  • Gender Responsive Budgets
  • Parliamentary oversight and HIV/AIDS
• Budget Implementation, Monitoring and Control
• Audit and evaluation

For the full report, please click here.

August 11-15, 2008, Accra, Ghana
Parliament and Financial Oversight: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Government Budget Analysis

The second training on budgetary oversight for Francophone countries took place August 11-15, 2008 in Accra Ghana. 11 Members of Parliament and 5 committee clerks from Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal attended the training, which was funded by the Austrian Development Agency. The training was delivered by Dr. Paul Ouedraogo and Adam Soulé, who had also developed the training material. In addition, Lisa von Trapp of the World Bank Institute (WBI) also attended the training.

For the full report, please click here (in French only).

June 23-27, 2008, Accra, Ghana
Parliament and Financial Oversight: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Government Budget Analysis

A training on budgetary oversight, funded by the Austrian Development Agency, took place from June 23-27, involving Kenya, Nigeria, Rwanda and Zambia. In total 17 MPs and 7 committee clerks attended the workshop. Among the number of MPs who participated in the training were three MPs from Liberia and one committee clerk. Their participation in the workshop was made possible with funding from the World Bank Institute, an outfit of the World Bank with which the APRN has developed very strong ties over the years. In addition, Dr. Rick Stapenhurst, Senior Public Sector Specialist, World Bank Institute (WBI) also attended the workshop.

For the full report, please click here.

May 31, 2008, Accra, Ghana
Executive Committee Meeting

The Executive Committee of APRN met in Accra on May 31, 2008. On the agenda was:

1. Update on recent past activities
   • Training on budgetary oversight for Malawi, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Uganda (March 2008) 
   • Training module development
   • Questionnaire on parliamentary participation in the budget process
   • Newsletter of APRN website
2. Upcoming activities during 2008
   • Regional APRN Conference on poverty reduction tools
   • Pilot-Staff training
   •  APRN Executive Committee Meeting and AGM

Committee members present were:

1. Hon. Anne Makinda, Tanzania Parliament - Chair
2. Hon. William Okecho, Uganda Parliament
3. Hon. Priscilla Misiharaibwi Mushonga - Former MP of Zimbabwe Parliament
4. Hon. Adamou Idrissa, National Assembly of Niger - Vice-Chair
5. Hon. Kissima Mangane, National Assembly of Mali 

As Hon. Misiharaibwi Mushonga had not retained her seat in the last election in Zimbabwe, this was her last attendance. She will be replaced during the next APRN AGM.

March 3-7, 2008, Accra, Ghana
Parliament and Financial Oversight: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Government Budget Analysis

With support from the Austrian Development Agency, the Parliamentary Centre (PC) organized its third training workshop for Anglophone countries on the theme “Parliaments and Financial Oversight: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Government Budget Analysis”. This training aims to strengthen the capacity of parliamentarians to perform their financial oversight functions, and to equip them with tools with which to analyze government budgets particularly identifying pro-poor and gender equity programs.

The training program was held at the newly inaugurated Training and Resource Unit of the PC in Accra, Ghana March 3-7, 2008. It brought together 9 Members of Parliament and 8 parliamentary staff with a particular interest in furthering their knowledge in the area of budgetary oversight from Nigeria, Malawi, Tanzania, Sudan and Uganda. In addition, Mitchell O’Brien of the World Bank Institute (WBI), who participated in the full week of training as part of an on-going collaboration between PC and WBI.

For more information about this training click here.

March 6, 2008, Accra, Ghana
Inauguration of the Parliamentary Centre Training and Resource Unit

The official inauguration ceremony of the Parliamentary Centre’s new Training and Resource Unit in Accra, Ghana, took place on March 6, 2008.  Representatives from the Public Accounts Committee of Ghana were present as well as the Auditor General, representatives from CIDA, DFID, USAID, WBI among others. In addition, Members of Parliament (MPs) and parliamentary staff from Malawi, Nigeria, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda participating at the ongoing training on budgetary oversight were also present.

The Training and Resource Unit is an important resource facility that will cater for the information needs of MPs and parliamentary staff through its continuously growing library of parliamentary related books, reports and periodicals. Being equipped with computers with internet access, a conference room and a liaison office, it is also a multi-purpose training centre designed for the training needs of MPs and parliamentary staff across Africa, with a view to equip MPs and parliamentary staff with the relevant tools to undertake effective budget and financial oversight. In addition, the facility provides an opportunity for parliamentarians, parliamentary staff, as well as academics, researchers and others interested in parliamentary development to network and share their knowledge and experiences.

In his inaugural speech, Dr. Rasheed Draman, Director of Africa Programs, acknowledged the important support PC has been receiving over the years from a multitude of donors. He also expressed his gratitude of the support to establish this Training and Resource Unit, notably with support from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the UK Department for International Development (DFID), and the United State Agency for International Development (USAID).

The Parliamentary Centre Training Unit and Resource Centre is located at Ringway Estates, Osu- Accra.

2007

September 29, 2007, Accra, Ghana
Executive Committee Meeting

The Executive Committee of APRN met in Accra on September 29, 2007. On the agenda was:

1. Review of APRN activities during 2007;
2. Definition of work plan for 2008;
3. Discussions: how to make APRN more sustainable as a network; membership relations and review of membership criteria.
4. By-election of  Executive Committee member from West Africa as well as new Vice-Chair

The current Committee was represented by Soulé Adam (Benin), Hon. Idrissa Adamou (Niger) and Hon. William Okecho (Uganda). Hon. Anne Makinda (Tanzania), Chair of the Committee, Hon. Kenneth Thindwa (Malawi) and Hon. Priscilla Misihairabwi-Mushonga (Zimbabwe) were unable to attend the meeting. The current Vice-chair, Soulé Adam, had unfortunately not retained his seat in the last parliamentary elections in Benin, and therefore this was his last attendance. To replace him on the Committee, Hon. Kissima Mangané, newly re-elected in the parliamentary elections in Mali, had previously been suggested and subsequently invited to attend the meeting.

For the full report from this meeting, please click here.

September 24-28, 2007, Accra, Ghana
Financial Oversight Function of Parliamentarians: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Government Budget Analysis

The first training on budgetary oversight for Francophone countries took place September 24-28 2007. The participants, 8 MPs and 3 parliamentary staff, came from Benin, Mali and Niger.  The training modules had been developed by the consultants Dr. Paul Ouedraogo and Soulé A. B. Abou, a former MP from Benin and also the former Vice-chair of the APRN Executive Committee, who also conducted the actual training. For more information about this training click here (in French only).

September 17-21, 2007, Accra Ghana
Financial Oversight Function of Parliamentarians: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Government Budget Analysis

8 MPs and 3 parliamentary staff from Botswana, Ghana and Zambia came together to learn and share experiences on budgetary oversight. The training program called “Financial Oversight Function of Parliamentarians: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Government Budget Analysis” took place in Accra, Ghana with funding from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). For more information about this training click here

May 19-21, 2007
Wilton Park “Southern Perspectives on Reform of the International Development Architecture”

This conference was organized by the North South Institute and Wilton Park. With the support from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA), the Parliamentary Centre and four Members of Parliament: Hon. Adhu Awiti (Kenya), Hon. Kenneth Thindwa (Malawi), Hon. William Okecho (Uganda) and Hon. Emmanuel Hachipuka (Zambia) were able to participate at this conference, which took place at Wilton Park in West Sussex, UK.  It focused on the findings from an ongoing North-South Institute project, which aims at bringing a southern perspective into the reform process of the international development architecture, as most of the previous input has been made by northern governments and experts.For the full report, please click here

2006

December 18-20, 2006, Accra, Ghana
Parliaments and Financial Oversight: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Budget Analysis

11 MPs from 5 countries ( Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria and Sierra Leone) participated in the second seminar on Financial Oversight. The seminar took place in Accra, Ghana from December 18-20, 2006. Entitled `Parliaments and Financial Oversight: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Budget Analysis`, this event was put on jointly by the Parliamentary Centre and the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF). Among others the training program particularly highlighted gender considerations by making one presentation on the topic “Analyzing Gender Equity in Budget Statements: Key Issues”

December 16, 2006, Accra, Ghana
Annual General Meeting

APRN held its Annual General Meeting on Saturday, December 16, 2006 in Accra, Ghana. At this time, members reviewed past network activities, elected an Executive Committee, and designed an action plan for 2007. For information on the members of the Executive Committee, please visit the Chair`s page and the Executive Committee page. Click here to see the report.

December 11-15, 2006, Accra Ghana
Parliaments and Financial Oversight

The Africa Poverty Reduction Office (APRO), the regional office of the Parliamentary Centre located in Accra, Ghana, celebrated the opening of its Learning Centre with a training session on budgetary oversight. 11 MPs and two parliamentary staff from Malawi, Tanzania and Uganda participated in the five-day training on ‘Parliaments and Financial Oversight: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Budget Analysis’. One highlight of the inaugural training session was the participation of two parliamentary committee chairs and two parliamentary clerks from Malawi and Uganda. This training will continue to be offered to MPs from other African countries, both in French and English, in the upcoming year. The Learning Centre, as well as the budget training program, are supported financially by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). For a full report on the training workshop, please click here

October 27-28, 2006
Self- Assessment Workshop, Accra, Ghana

During 2004-2006, the Parliamentary Centre, with funding through the Canada Fund for Africa administered by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and in partnership with the Institute for Policy Alternatives (IPA) in Benin and Ghana, administered an extensive training program for MPs, parliamentary staff, and CSO representatives on community monitoring tools. Upon completion, participants then took the community monitoring tools and knowledge they had learned and applied them to pilot projects in each of their countries. These pilot projects took place throughout 2004, 2005 and 2006. The pilots offered an opportunity for members of parliament, parliamentary staff, and CSOs to discover how effective a government-funded project was for a given community. The use of citizen report cards and community score cards allowed researcher teams to uncover how communities viewed aid effectiveness. By recording the voice of the community and later returning to their parliament to disseminate these perspectives, community members, CSOs and parliamentarians joined together in holding their government accountable for aid.

Community monitoring is an important method of ensuring social and public accountability in governments. The global commitment to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and their translation into Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), is one of the major public policy initiatives in Africa. Parliaments are all about representing people and making their voices heard before, during and after public policy measures, such as PRSPs, are formulated and implemented. Moreover, Parliamentary Committees have a unique function in translating public sentiment into advice for policy improvements.

On October 27 and 28, 2006, those who had participated in community monitoring training as well as completed a pilot project in their respective countries gathered together at the Golden Tulip Hotel in Accra, Ghana to asses the training and pilot projects. The Self-Assessment workshop was a chance for MPs, parliamentary staff, and CSOs who had participated in the training and pilot projects, to evaluate that training and the effectiveness of the pilot projects. In addition, participants mapped out possible ways forward for continuing community monitoring. The forum focused particular attention on substantive issues of poverty reduction that the pilot projects have examined; methodologies that were adopted in carrying out these pilot initiatives and the unique experiences of each country; how the results of the pilot initiatives could be shared and disseminated.

To see the see the full report from the self-assessment workshop, please click here.

September 25-27, 2006
Africa-Asia Policy Dialogue, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania

Organized by the Parliamentary Centre and the Parliament of Tanzania, the second Africa-Asia Policy Dialogue was funded by the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) through the Africa-Canada Parliamentary Strengthening Program (ACPSP), with additional support coming from the World Bank Institute (WBI).

The three-day policy dialogue offered parliamentarians from the two regions the opportunity to share some of their experiences through presentations from policy makers, parliamentarians and academics; panel discussions as well as case studies from both Africa and Asia. Throughout the dialogue the three issues of corruption; poverty and economic growth were discussed, with very useful lessons emerging as case studies.

Linkages between poverty reduction, economic growth and corruption are not necessarily straight-forward, but certain issues are clear. Corruption has adverse effects on economic growth – it deters investment and affects good governance, wastes and distorts allocation of resources, undermines credibility of public authority and increases political insecurity. The combined effect of corruption and poverty has the potential to depress economic growth and increase inequality. Through their experiences (both positive and negative), Asia presents important lessons for development and poverty reduction in Africa, which is currently in search of models for sustainable development.

A key recommendation arising form the activity, is the need to establish further mechanisms for mutual learning between Asia and Africa, as both seek models for rapid economic growth and governance that is accountable and sustainable. Working closely with Parliaments is a critical element in this mutual learning process and has proven as such in this policy dialogue. Future dialogues will present a similar platform and program.

For conference reports and papers, please click here.

July 7, 2006
Meeting of Clerks of Parliament from East and Southern Africa, Kampala, Uganda

This meeting was a collaborative effort between the Canadian Parliamentary Centre and the Parliament of Uganda. The meeting had several objectives, key among them: (a) first, it was aimed at formally engaging Parliaments that the CPC has been working with over the years, mostly on a semi-formal basis; and (b) second, to come up with concrete steps on how various African Parliaments could begin making contributions towards the activities of the various networks run by the CPC: The African Poverty Reduction Network; the Gender Equality Network; and the African Parliamentary Network Against Corruption (APNAC).

The meeting was attended by Clerks of Parliament (or their deputies) from: Malawi, Zambia, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Kenya.

June 19-23, 2006
Post Elections Seminar for Honourable Members of the 8 th Parliament, Parliament of Uganda, Kampala, Uganda

The orientation for MPs of the 8 th Parliament was a week-long program for all 352 MPs of which 84 were women. There were presentations throughout the week covering varying subjects such as Parliamentary Privileges and Etiquette, Functioning of Parliament in a Multi-party setting, The Oversight function of Parliament, Parliament and the Budget Process, The Legislative Process, Parliament, Civil Society and the Media, Women’s Participation in Politics and a presentation on PEAP (Poverty Eradication Action Plan) – Uganda’s version of the PRSP, MDGs, NEPAD and the APRM. All presentations were followed by discussions.

The Parliamentary Centre participated in the panel discussion of the paper “Functioning of Parliament in a Multiparty Setting”. Additionally, the Parliamentary Centre chaired a session on day three and presented a paper on day five on “The Role of a Member of Parliament”, which summarized the week’s presentations.

June 5-8, 2006
Wilton Park 'Reducing Poverty: The Roles of Parliaments, Government, and Non-State Actors'

The conference sought to examine the role of parliaments, governments and non-state actors in the poverty reduction process. In particular, the conference looked at ways parliaments, donors, business, and NGOs co-operate and build partnerships to reduce poverty and fight corruption. More specifically, the discussions touched upon the following issues: how Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSPs) links economic growth and poverty reduction, correlation between Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and PRSP, improvement of capabilities in economic, social, political, transparency and security dimensions, and what could be learnt from poverty reduction efforts in Africa in particular.

Dr. Stephen Langdon and Dr. Rasheed Draman of the Parliamentary Centre as well as Hon. Anne Makinda ( Tanzania) and Hon. Bagbin (Ghana), both members of APRN, all presented papers at this conference.

For the full conference report, please click here.

February 3-4, 2006
Centers of Excellence (Consortium) Meeting, Nairobi, Kenya

Eight training and capacity building organizations convened a roundtable in Nairobi, Kenya to share experiences on capacity building for African Parliaments.

The expansion of democracy and responsive governance in Africa is attributed in part to the growing prominence of young African Parliaments. National, Pan-African and Regional Parliaments, such as those of ECOWAS and SADCC are now demanding increased training and capacity to cope with the challenges both of legislation and engaging with Government to ensure accountability and oversight for public policy, budgets and expenditures. The recent launch of the Pan-African Parliament gives further boost to the processes of parliamentary democracy across the continent.

The eight capacity-building organizations agreed on the need to form a consortium which would develop collaborative programs mainly for regional Parliaments in Africa and PAP (some national parliaments may be considered) on: strengthening public policy analysis and oversight, s trengthening institutional and HR development, and managing public accountability.

The eight organizations present were:

Institute for Democracy in South Africa (IDASA) – South Africa
University of Western Cape – South Africa
Forum for Women and Democracy (FOWODE) – Uganda
Office of professional development (in Parliament of Uganda) - Uganda
Eastern and Southern African Management Institute (ESAMI) – Tanzania
Research on Poverty Alleviation (REPOA) - Tanzania
Institute for Policy Alternatives (IPA) – Ghana
Parliamentary Centre - Canada and Ghana

For the full round-table report and communiqué, please click here .

January 30-31, 2006
Annual Work Planning Meeting, African parliamentary Poverty Reduction Network, Nairobi, Kenya

Looking back over two years of existence and looking forward to the future, the African Parliamentary Poverty Reduction Network convened a work planning meeting in Nairobi, Kenya.

2005

November 7 - December 17, 2005
Training on Community Monitoring of Poverty for Parliamentary Staff and Civil Society Leaders from Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, Tamale, Ghana

A six week training program took place in Tamale from November 7th to December 16, 2005 with staff of the Parliaments of Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe and associated leaders of civil society groups. This programme was part of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Training Programme , funded by the Canada Fund for Africa . Training was provided by the Institute for Policy Alternatives (IPA) . The general objective of this course was to increase the competency and skills of the participants in the use of participatory tools in order for them to perform a greater role in enhancing the capacity of Parliament to monitor government performance in implementing poverty reduction strategies and programs. To improve the practical skills of staff and civil society leaders, a field-based data collection, analysis and report preparation was conducted through field practice and an internship placement.

For the full report, click here

November 14 – 16, 2005
Wilton Park "Strengthening National Responses to Children Affected by HIV/AIDS: What is the Role of the State and Social Welfare in Africa"

There is increasing recognition within the international community of the need to address social protection and social welfare assistance in support of children affected by HIV/AIDS and other vulnerable children throughout Africa.

The scale of the epidemic and its consequences prompt an urgent re-think of the way in which the international community and states respond to the pandemic. There is a need to consider current social welfare support and evaluate if it is meeting the needs of those who are most affected, in particular children affected by HIV/AIDS and the households and extended families who are caring for them. The two-day conference brought together resource persons and participants from the United Nations, Africa Union, Academia, Parliamentarians, NGOs and HIV/AIDS activists among others to brainstorm the issue.

The Parliamentary Centre supported the participation of three African MPs at this conference.

For the full conference report, click here.

October 10-14, 2005
Training on Community Monitoring of Poverty for MPs from Zambia, Zimbabwe and Botswana, Tamale, Ghana

This training was conducted in Tamale from the 10 th –14 th October 2005 for the third batch of members of Parliament from Botswana, Zambia and Zimbabwe, as part of the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Training Programme coordinated by the Parliamentary Center, Canada, and funded by the Canada Fund for Africa. Each of the three countries was represented by four MPs each making it a total of 12 MPs. The theme for this course was:” Parliament and Civic Engagement in Community Monitoring of Poverty and MDGs ”. The course was designed to increase the awareness and skills of the African MPs on global and national policies for poverty reduction, and on the accountability for MDGs and related pro-poor policies, through monitoring and evaluation. At the end of the training, for the Parliamentary Leaders, support was provided to develop a pilot project in order to put the skills acquired to practice by initiating a poverty monitoring activity based on the use of social and public accountability principles, tools and experiences regarding community monitoring of poverty.

For the full report, click here

June 20-23, 2005
Wilton Park 'The Millennium Development Goals: Ensuring Achievability and Accountability'

This conference aimed three sets of questions at the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs surrounding their achievability, accountability, and adequacy. The Parliamentary Centre co-funded the participation of 10 African MPs and 3 civil society organization leaders to attend this conference. Dr. Rasheed Draman and Lillie Chitauro of the Parliamentary Centre as well as Donald Mmari (Tanzania), Collins Magalasi (Zambia), Patricia Munabi Babiiha (Uganda), Hon. Willias Madzimuri (Zimbabwe), and Hon. Musikari Kombo (Kenya) presented papers.

For the full conference report, please click here. http://www.wiltonpark.org.uk/themes/environment/
pastconference.aspx?confref=WP786

May 12-13, 2005

ECOWAS Parliamentary Strengthening Workshop 'Conflict Management and Gender Perspectives – The Role of Regional Parliaments' Abuja, Nigeria. Held jointly with AWEPA

March 7 – April 15, 2005

Training on Community Monitoring of Poverty Reduction for Parliamentary Staff and Civil Society from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Rwanda, Ouidah, Bénin

For the full report, click here

March 1 to 3, 2005
MIMAP and Africa-Canada Parliamentary Strengthening Program Workshop on “Growth, inequalities and poverty” Cotonou, Benin. Held jointly with IDRC.

Work undertaken in the past year by the Parliamentary Centre in West Africa and other regions of the continent provided evidence of major gaps in the performance of parliaments in terms of budget control, poverty policy impact as well as parliamentary outreach and interaction with the poor. As such, these remain critical areas where capacity-building efforts and strengthening initiatives are greatly needed and should be emphasized. In order to increase MPs knowledge and capacity on poverty policy and budget analysis, a joint-workshop with IDRC was held in Benin from March 1 to 3, 2005. This second workshop organized in collaboration with IDRC focused on the relationship between growth, inequalities and poverty. It brought together parliamentarians and researchers from Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal, countries in which the MIMAP research team have been quite active. The involvement of MIMAP researchers in such a workshop was to provide MPs with the opportunity to be informed of poverty-related studies and research initiatives taking place in their country and region, to gain knowledge and reflect on the findings of the studies.

For the conference report and presentations, click here.

February 28 – April 6 2005

Training on Community Monitoring of Poverty Reduction for Parliamentary Staff & Civil Society from Nigeria, Kenya, and Uganda, Tamale, Ghana

For the full report, click here

2004

December 17 – 23, 2004

Training on Community Monitoring of Poverty for MPs from Burkina Faso, Mali, and Rwanda in St. Jean, Benin.

For the full report, click here (in French only)

September 27 to October 1, 2004

Training on Community Monitoring of Poverty for MPs from Nigeria, Kenya and Uganda in Tamale, Ghana

For the full report, click here

August 19-27, 2004

Training Session on Community Monitoring of Poverty for Parliamentarians and Civil Society in Cotonou, Bénin

July 19-August 28, 2004

Training on Community Monitoring of Poverty for Parliamentary Staff and Civil Society of Benin, Niger and Senegal in Cotonou, Benin

For the full report, click here (in French only)

June 11-14, 2004
Wilton Park "Economic Policy Choices for Poverty Reduction"

Jointly planned by the North-South Institute, the Parliamentary Centre, Norad, and DFID of the UK, as well as Wilton Park officials, this conference focused on “Economic Policy Choices for Poverty Reduction.” The question of developing countries’ indebtedness continues to dominate international debate. The quest for a strategy to reduce poverty in developing countries has thus resulted in the concept of debt relief, which focuses on providing assistance to Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC). Instead of repaying certain international loans, countries deemed appropriate candidates for the HIPC program have their debt with the World Bank and/or IMF forgiven. The funds initially intended for the loan repayment are supposed to be utilised towards poverty reduction programs. In order to qualify for the HIPC funds, a country has (inter alia) to produce a Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper for approval by the World Bank and IMF, indicating the country’s plans and objectives for reducing poverty. Since a number of developing countries have now met the conditions for participating in the HIPC initiative and are implementing the PRSPs, this project aimed to evaluate the progress on PRSPs and to discuss the way forward.

For the full conference report, please click here.

October 4-7, 2004
Africa-Asia Policy Dialogue, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Countries in East Asia are world renown for the dramatic transformation of their economies and societies over the last 5 decades since the end of the Second World War. The economic miracle of East Asia was, however, subjected to intense scrutiny during and after the devastating Asian financial crises of 1997. Central to this scrutiny were issues of accountability and oversight, in particular for the financial sector, and in general for the entire governance regime (including economic governance). Poverty re-surfaced as a priority for public policy, as did the need for economic restructuring and social development. The role of parliaments in East Asia and the overarching requirement for parliamentary oversight of public policy thus became important challenges confronting that region.

Consequently, as both Asia and Africa seek models for rapid economic growth and governance that is both accountable and sustainable, the need to establish mechanisms for mutual learning between these two regions has recently been greatly emphasized, especially in regards to parliamentary oversight and accountability. Parliamentary oversight will be expected to contribute further not only to reorienting development policies and programs in favour of the beneficiaries and in particular the poor, but also to improving their cost-effectiveness and democratic governance in respective communities.

In most initiatives, Monitoring and Evaluation, the systematic process of using evidence to enhance accountability and learning have not featured prominently in the processes of parliamentary oversight. Hence, PC initiated a symposium that brought together African and Asian parliamentarians to share experiences (both positive and negative) on the role of parliaments in promoting accountability while seeking to advance the use of Evaluation as an instrument for good governance, accountability and learning.

April 19 to 23, 2004

Training on Community Monitoring of Poverty for MPs from Benin, Niger, and Senegal in Ouidah, Bénin

For the full report, click here (in French only)

February 18-20, 2004
MIMAP and Africa-Canada Parliamentary Strengthening Program Workshop `Political Alternatives for Poverty Reduction`, Dakar, Senegal. Held jointly with IDRC.

The Parliamentary Centre and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) organized a joint workshop focusing on strengthening the capacity of African parliamentarians in dealing with certain concepts relating to poverty in order for them to have the tools to develop efficient policies on poverty reduction in their respective countries. Approximately 30 Members of Parliament participated at this event from Benin, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, Morocco, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal. The following themes were presented by researchers from the Micro Impact of Macroeconomic and Adjustment Policies Programme (MIMAP) and later discussed by the participants: “The institutional context of PRSPs”, “Impacts of macroeconomic policies on poverty”, “ Growth and poverty ”and “Liberalization and poverty”.

2003

November 7-8, 2003
APRN Launch and Workshop, Tamale, Ghana

The African Parliamentary Poverty Reduction Network was launched at a founding meeting and workshop held in Tamale, Northern Ghana on November 7-8, 2003. The workshop aimed at:

• deliberating on the broad conceptual issues that underpin the mandate of the Network: exploring the organizational issues and developing a tentative workplan for the activities of the Network;
• providing a forum for discussion on substantive issues of importance to the Network, the community monitoring of poverty reduction: sharing experiences on the engagement with civil society and a field visit to examine the ways in which Parliament could link up with civil society in conducting oversight for poverty reduction.

The workshop counted 30 participants from 13 countries, including 25 MPs, 4 parliamentary staff and 1 representative from a research institution. Invited guests included the First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Ghana; the Minister for the Northern Region; Hon. J.H. Mensah, Senior Minister; as well as a representative of the Canadian High Commission. There was also strong representation from the organizers, both the Parliamentary Centre and the Institute for Policy Alternatives.

For the full report, please click here.