(CoDA) is a joint venture between the African Development Bank (AfDB), the African Union Commission (AUC) and the UN Economic Commission for Africa (ECA). It was established as a successor forum to the Global Coalition for Africa (GCA), the Big Table (Africa – OECD) and the African Development Forum, which were policy forums established in the 1990s to promote dialogue on Africa’s development.
Addressing participants, the convener and CoDA Board Chair, Abdoulaye Bathily, said the financial crisis provided Africa with the opportunity to intensify efforts to exit the vicious cycle of stagnation and dependence.
“CoDA will support efforts to redefine Africa’s development paradigm, and above all, the emergence of new practices and citizen actions in Africa’s public space,” said Mr. Bathily, a Senegalese academic and former minister.
Welcoming the participants, the AfDB President, Donald Kaberuka, said CoDA could play an important advocacy role to enable Africa cope with the crisis. Mr. Kaberuka also explained the Bank Group’s proactive and innovative response to the crisis that helped many regional member countries stay the course.
Source: Allafrica