Capacity Development Training on European Development Fund (EDF) Rules and Procedures comes to an end

Addis Ababa-16 June 2014- A four day training workshop aimed at building the capacity of pertinent AUC personnel came to an end on Friday 13 June 2014, at the African Union Commission in Addis Ababa. The training workshop sought to build better understanding of the European Development Fund (EDF) rules and improve the utilization of European funded projects.

Opening the four-day training (10-13 June 2014), Professor Khalil Timamy, Head of Environment, Climate Change, Land and Water Management Division, Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture, recalled that the Service Contract for the Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (MESA) programme aims to provide technical and development assistance to the implementation of the programme across the participating African regions and to the AUC. During the design of the MESA programme, lack of knowledge and understanding of EDF rules and procedures was foreseen to be the main potential risk to affect programme implementation. Professor Timamy then applauded the MESA Programme for conducting the training in all participating African regions where representatives of the regional implementation centres (RICs) and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) participated.

He also expressed AUC’s commitment to execute the MESA Programme in accordance with signed contractual agreements and rules and procedures of the EDF. The training covered the topics: historical background and introduction of EDF rules, and Financial Management and Procurement Procedures, accompanied by practical exercises.  24 trainees from different departments of the AUC who are involved in implementing European Union funded projects participated in the training which is organized by the MESA Programme and Human Dynamics.

The MESA program was proposed through the Ouagadougou Declaration (September 2010) by the African Union Commission, the ACP Secretariat and the African Regional Economic Communities. The aim of the program is to support African decision-makers and planners in designing and implementing national, regional and continental policies and development plans towards sustainable development, thereby advancing the socio-economic progress and well-being of African populations towards achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The program ensures continuity of past investments on use of Earth Observation data in Africa and to provide an initial contribution to the GMES Africa initiative, which was called upon through the Maputo Declaration (October 2006) and included in the Joint EU-Africa Strategy as of December 2007.

Beneficiary countries of MESA program are 48 ACP countries of five African regions, namely Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC), Economic Community of West
African States (ECOWAS), The Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), Indian Ocean Commission (IOC) and The Southern African Development Community (SADC). The AUC is the contracting authority for the program which is funded by the European Union through the 10th EDF with a budget of 37 million euros.