Partnerships & Cooperation Unit

Role

The Partnerships and Cooperation Unit (ORRU) is responsible for mobilizing trust funds, co-financing, technical cooperation and strategic partnerships arrangements with development partners to enhance the operations of the Bank in Regional Member Countries.  The Unit serves as a central focal point for the Bank's partnerships management and monitors the implementation progress and results of the Bank's partnerships and cooperation work.

Reporting Relationships

The ORRU reports directly to the Vice President in charge of Policy and Country & Regional Programs & Policy (ORVP).

Principal Activities

The ORRU's main activities are as follows:

• Coordinate the negotiation and formalization of the Bank's institutional partnerships arrangements with development partners worldwide through Partnerships MOUs and Technical Cooperation Agreements;
• Oversee the establishment and utilization of Trust Funds;
• Coordinate the establishment of structured co-financing arrangements with major co-financiers for investment projects;
• Coordinate donor-sponsored secondment and technical assistance programs;
• Coordinate the organization of Business Opportunities Seminars to enhance business collaboration with partner countries; and
• Coordinate high-level partnerships events and consultative meetings and missions with key strategic partners.
  

Key Interactions

Internal Interfaces:

• The President and the Board of Directors on strategic partnerships;  
• All Complexes on Bank-wide coordination, consultations and monitoring on partnerships-related matters; and
• All Operational Departments, Units and Field Offices on the utilization and monitoring of Trust Fund and co-financing resources as well as secondees and technical assistants.

External Interfaces:

Development Partners, including: traditional Donors, Emerging Donors, Multilateral Development Banks, Academia, Knowledge Institutions, African Institutions, and Private Sector Institutions.  

Major traditional partners include Austria, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom and the United States.  Multilateral partners include the European Commission/European Investment Bank, UN Agencies and the World Bank Group.  

Increasingly important in co-financing partnerships are the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa, Kuwait Fund, Islamic Development Bank, OPEC Fund, and Saudi Fund. Emerging partners are Australia, Brazil, China, Korea, Singapore, the Millennium Challenge Corporation as well as private sector institutions such as Microsoft.  African countries and institutions such as Egypt, South Africa, the African Union/NEPAD, UN Economic Commission for Africa, Regional Development Banks and think tanks are also our important partners.