The ALSF Management Board and Governing Council members
Accra, Ghana, 26 May 2022 — The African Legal Support Facility (ALSF) held its 38th Management Board and 14th Governing Council meetings on 23 and 26 May 2022 respectively, on the margins of the 2022 African Development Bank Annual Meetings in Accra, Ghana. The members reviewed the 2021 activities of the ALSF and discussed the future of the organization.
After the Board’s approval, the Governing Council subsequently endorsed the 2021 Annual Report and the Audited Financial Statements as of December 2021. They also took note of a presentation of the Progress Report on Projects implemented in 2021 by the task manager.
The Council also approved several reports and policies including the 2021 Annual Report, a Progress Report on projects implementation, the 2023-2027 Medium Term Strategy and various internal policies. It was noted that despite the challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Facility approved 33 new projects in 2021 amounting to USD 6.8 million. projects - mostly in the advisory services, litigation, capacity building and knowledge management.
Over the same period, the ALSF committed over USD 11 million for its interventions in the extractives and natural resources, power, infrastructure and public-private partnerships and sovereign debt sectors. The ALSF also facilitated government savings in underlying transactions in an amount of 14.8 billions, 3 470 MW of power generation, and trained 2 300 African lawyers and government officials.
Notably, the Facility provided legal and financial support to Sudan to support the country’s efforts to obtain debt relief and arrears clearance from the Paris Club, non-Paris Club and commercial creditors. The Council also took note of the support provide by the ALSF to civil servants and government officials in Angola on PPPs. The capacity building program was developed and organized by the ALSF following a request by the Government of Angola for innovative ways to enhance the capacity of its officials and civil servants on PPP processes and dimensions, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In their meetings, the members of the Management Board and the Governing Council expressed satisfaction with the strong performance of the Facility, and acknowledged the ALSF team’s timely, appropriate, and efficient response to the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic across its areas of intervention in the regional member countries.
The Board and the Council expect the Facility to continue to support the economic recovery and sustainable development efforts of the regional member countries, especially in addressing climate change issues and consolidating support for the Facility’s cross-cutting issues of environmental and social protection, gender equality, and good governance.
The Director and CEO of the Facility, Mr. Olivier Pognon, noted the dedication and accessibility of the Members of the Board and the Council over the years. He thanked the Members for the confidence reposed in the ALSF team to continue its vital work, and assured the Members of the commitment and zeal of the team to intensify its efforts to realize the objectives of the ALSF.
The ALSF team took the opportunity to engage in a number of bilateral talks with ministerial delegations from Regional Member Countries, donors and partners international institutions during the week.
The ALSF’s Management Board is responsible for the efficient and effective conduct of all operations of the Facility, as well as the approval of its Budget and appointment of its Director. The Board comprises of five members of high integrity and competence, acting in their individual capacity, and are appointed by the Governing Council for a three-year, non-renewable term. The current members of the Board are: Ms. Eva Jhala (Chairperson), Ms. Nimatou Feliho, Ms. Chrisitine Agimba, Mr. Jacob Diko Mukete and Ambassador Arve Ofstad.
The Governance Council is the supreme body of the ALSF that meets once a year. It is composed of twelve members representing both Member States and international organizations. The current Governance Council is composed of representatives from Morocco, Guinea, Eswatini, Burundi, Tanzania, the African Development Bank, Belgium, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Brazil. The College of International Organizations was represented at this meeting by the African Finance Corporation (AFC).
About the ALSF
Established by the African Development Bank in 2008, the ALSF assists African governments in negotiating complex commercial transactions, providing legal and technical assistance and developing capacity building tools in the key sectors of infrastructure and public-private partnerships, energy, natural resources and extractive industries, as well as on sovereign debt and creditor disputes.
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Contact us
Eve Ehoura, Communication Officer : e.ehoura@afdb.org
ALSF Website : https://www.alsf.int
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