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APRN Launched the Second Phase of Implementation
 The African Parliamentary Poverty Reduction Network (APRN) was created in 2003 in response to demands by African parliamentarians for a network that would bring together Members of Parliament (MPs) from all over Africa interested in central issues such as poverty reduction to discuss and share best practices, lessons learned and experiences in that area; as well as to improve their poverty monitoring capacity, increase their policy-making knowledge and build linkages with policy institutes. The network was fully implemented in 2004 and has since been growing in membership with 15 countries involved actively in program activities. These countries are: Benin, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
Earlier this year, the network launched the second phase of implementation, which will run until December 2011. This second phase will continue to support the African Parliamentary Poverty Reduction Network (APRN) and strengthen how its members address poverty issues in their respective countries. The main focus of its activities will be on how Members of Parliament (MPs), and the parliamentary staff that support them in their work, can use the budget process as a tool to reduce poverty. In that regard, this phase aims at providing MPs with the necessary tools to assess, influence, and ensure that their respective budgets take careful consideration of commitments made through Poverty  Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSPs), National Development Plans, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), and also that their budgets are gender sensitive.
So far, two main activities have taken place during this second phase. They include: “The Financial Oversight Functions of Parliamentarians: Tools and Mechanisms for Optimum Government Budget Analysis” training workshop which was organized in Accra, Ghana from March 15-19, 2010 and brought to together Members of Parliament, Senators and Parliamentary Staff from five partner parliaments (namely Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, Uganda and Rwanda), and also the APRN Executive Committee meeting took place in the Ugandan capital, Kampala on April 19, 2010.
For more information on these trainings, please go to Past Activities.
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Providing tools on budgetary oversight to Parliamentarians and parliamentary staff
Since 2006, the Parliamentary Centre has offered training on budgetary oversight to the Members of Parliaments and parliamentary staff of both Anglophone and Francophone APRN member countries with positive effects. These training workshops have been made possible with funding from the Austrian Development Agency (ADA). In 2009 alone, a total of six training activities were undertaken, involving 132 MPs and Parliamentary Staff. Of the total participants, 30 were female. The results thus far achieved have impacted positively the work of parliaments in budget oversight responsibilities in beneficiary countries.
In 2010, the following activities took place:
For more information on these trainings, please go to Past Activities. |
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New Executive Committee
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.
The Executive Committee is elected based on the following criterion developed by the steering committee:
- Regional Balance
- Anglophone/Francophone Consideration
- Gender Consideration
- An Abiding Dedication to Duty and Self-Sacrifice
During the APRN annual general meeting which was held on October 22, 2009, the following members of Parliament were elected to serve a two-year term as part of the new APRN Executive Committee, to steer the affairs of African Parliamentary Poverty Reduction Network (APRN).
- Hon. William Okecho (Uganda)- Chairman
- Hon. Koala Kabore K. Aline (Burkina Faso) -Vice Chairperson
- Hon. Clement Kofi Humado (Ghana) Member
- Hon. John Mbadi Ngongo (Kenya) Member
- Hon. Gaye Ndeye Cissé (Senegal) Member
- Hon. Agnes Penumlungu (Malawi) Member
- Hon. Emmanuel M. Hachipuka (Zambia) Member
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APRN Newsletter
 The June 2010 issue of the APRN Newsletter is now available. Published bi-annually, the newsletter provides a platform for MPs, parliamentary staff, CSO advocates, researchers, and practitioners to share on poverty reduction issues. The theme of this newsletter is "Quiet Corruption in Africa: Parliaments’ Role in Overseeing Budget Implementation Challenges". This issue also features articles on some of the recent activities of the APRN. If you would like to be on the mailing list, or to submit articles, contact Ricardo Lesperance, Program Officer at info_Ottawa@aprnetwork.org.
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The Parliamentary Centre invites you to submit articles
APRN and the Parliamentary Centre want to make sure that our members are well informed about key issues linked to parliamentary strengthening, and in particular the role parliaments play during the budget process from a pro-poor perspective.
We would therefore like to invite you to send us your contributions on parliamentary strengthening– and specifically on how parliament can play an increasing role in poverty reduction through the budget process. A select number of articles will be published in the APRN Newsletter. Please send your contribution to info_Ottawa@aprnetwork.org.
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The Parliamentary Centre develops training material on HIV/AIDS
The Parliamentary Centre has recently developed a complete training material for Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff for the World Bank Institute called Parliaments and HIV/AIDS. This material is now available on WBI's special on-line training site.
Please visit www.parliamentarystrengthening.org/
HIVmodule/index.html for more information |
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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.
For more information, click here |
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PRSP UPDATE
The following new PRSP documents and annual progress reports are available:
Benin: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper – Annual Progress Report (2007)
Burkina Faso: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper – Annual Progress Report (2006)
Ghana: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper – Annual Progress Report 2006
Liberia: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (2008-2011)
Niger: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (2008-2012)
Mali: Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper (2007-2011)
Rwanda: Economic Development and Poverty Reduction Strategy (2008-2012)
Tanzania: Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper – Annual Progress Report (2006/2007)
For additional PRSP documents and annual progress reports, please visit www.imf.org/external/np/prsp/prsp.asp?
view=all&sort=date#cp
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