What are National Chapters?
The AfCoP is seeking to increase its impact at the national
level through the launching of National Chapters – independent and
member-driven bodies that aim at building national MfDR capacities
and at advancing the MfDR agenda nationally. National Chapters
focus on government officials, through networking, training
sessions and offer mechanisms to lobby governments and development
organizations to make programs and structures more results
oriented. These national communities are working closely with the
AfCoP to enliven the national debate and increase awareness of
leaders at all levels with regards to managing for results.
Why Creating National Chapters?
Over the past year, the AfCoP has seen tremendous demand from
members for this shift toward National Chapters. Active members in
Niger and Senegal have already mobilized resources and set up
national chapters which now include over 50 members each.
Unprompted, AfCoP members have set up several online groups on the
AfCoP’s website dedicated to bringing together fellow members from
their respective countries in the hopes of building national
chapters. Furthermore, the building of national chapters was
identified by AfCoP members as a priority for the AfCoP during its
2008 annual meeting and now features prominently in the
deliverables of the 2010 AfCoP Core Management Team work plan.
In response to member demand for the creation of National Chapters
the AfCoP is now striving to move into a new phase of development
which includes national chapters. At the third AfCoP annual meeting
held in Dakar in March 2010, participants committed to create 11
AfCoP national chapters over the next twelve months in the
following countries: Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Ethiopia, Kenya,
Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tunisia, Uganda and
Zimbabwe.
How Do National Chapters Work?
AfCoP Chapters are autonomous bodies developed in partnership
with the local Ministry of Finance and Economy. They are to be
fully implemented, managed and maintained by the country.
Activities of these national chapters will be flexible and adapted
to each country’s context. The AfCoP Secretariat will support
National Chapters’ activities to ensure their success, where
needed.
What Do National Chapters Do?
Each National Chapter can consider organizing the activities
suggested below to ensure that they advance the MfDR agenda in an
effective manner and build capacities at the national level. The
AfCoP 2009-2010 work plan is also a good basis to define activities
that could be developed at the national level. Below is a list of
suggested activities and outputs:
- organize a general meeting to launch the National Chapter in
the country;
- develop and implement a yearly work plan;
- organize national days of MfDR where the following activities
could take place: training sessions, call for proposals to showcase
MfDR projects, competitive programs to award national MfDR
champions;
- Organize/ask governments to make their programs, national
priorities and budget more results oriented and;
- distribute yearly reports to the government, relevant
stakeholders and local media that mentions the Chapter’s outcomes
and advocates to advance the MfDR agenda.
- Maintain strategic relationships with universities and training
institutes to advocate for a including MfDR training in their
programs.
How to Start Your Own National Chapter?
National Chapters work best when there is a sense of momentum and
community around managing for development results. To learn more
what it takes, the AfCoP Core Management Team has prepared
guidelines to create a national chapter, available
here.
For more information, please contact the National Chapter Team
Leader
Mamadou Abdou Gaoh Sani and the Anglophone National Chapter
coordinator
Zaam Ssali,
or the AfCoP Secretariat at
info@afcop-mfdr.org.
You can find more information about each national chapter by
clikcing on the countries you are interested in on the map below.
