This initiative has its origins in an emerging partnership among the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC), the Learning Network on Capacity Development (LenCD) and the Southern led CD Alliance to support the implementation of the capacity priorities of the Accra Agenda for Action (AAA) through to Seoul 2011. The objective is to promote practice change in capacity development (CD) through an African platform for learning, exchange of knowledge and resources on capacity development with key development actors and institutions working in the region.

Understanding the CD Landscape in Africa: There is a great diversity of institutions, networks, initiatives and programmes in Africa that relate in one way or another to capacity development. The CD landscape mapped during the consultations points to the different groups that can be expected to take a stake in and benefit from the proposed learning platform. Five principal stakeholder categories are identified:

1. African organizations with CD as focus”: Examples include the African Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF), whose core mandate is indeed to promote capacity development.
2. Horizontal / related communities” that focus on particular dimensions of capacity development which may include human resources development and organisational development.
3. Vertical/sectoral/thematic communities” consist of groups representing specific sectoral or thematic areas of expertise.
4. Africa focused external partners” consist of development agencies with a presence in Africa that are engaged on CD issues technically and/or through funding
5. Individual interested practitioners”: It will generally be individuals who will make a difference by consciously taking the effort to connect communities.

Added value: The consultations undertaken in preparation of this report suggest that the proposed CD learning platform can add value in the following ways:

• make CD knowledge and practice in Africa more transparent and accessible
• help to demystify capacity development recognising the many practical initiatives
• connect Africa internationally to bring the international good practices on CD
• serve as a conduit that can feed African experiences and insights into the global debate
• foster cross-regional learning exchange
• encourage greater interaction among diverse communities of practice
• facilitate the codification, exchange and dissemination of CD-related knowledge
• Create a continent-wide network of competency/expertise

The platform should then incrementally offer products and services that correspond to demand. Such may include: a Capacity Development Monitor featuring ongoing initiatives relevant to the CD community: Capacity Development Learning Initiatives at country level; Capacity Development Resource Corners; Dialogue and Exchange: through video conferences, e-discussions, workshops etc.; a Hotline for CD support: access to online support for practitioners seeking advice; a Market place and expert localization services as well as Evidence building on capacity development: identifying and codifying experiences.

The focus and content of the platform should remain flexible and responsive to demands expressed by stakeholders and users. However, to set the process in motion, the platform may initially focus on the priorities identified in the Accra Agenda for Action commitments.

Users should consult the very interesting LenCD website for more information on this, and other processes