Environment Seminar to Deepen AfDB Commitment to Africa’s Green Economy

The Bank is committed to Africa’s transformation to a green economy.  To this end, the Bank from 21-22 March 2011, hosted an international seminar on strategic environment and social assessments (SESA). The seminar aimed at deepening the AfDB’s implementation of more environmentally and socially sustainable projects and programmes. Coodinated by the Compliance and Safeguards Division, the seminar broeght together at Hotel Sharaton, Tunis, leading international agencies involved in implementing strategic environmental and social assessments. These included the MDBs, as well as OECD/DAC, CIDA, NCEA. The African Union and several RECs which are very important actors for driving the SESA mainstreaming process in Africa will also be in attendance.

The seminar held several sessions and presentatons to enable  participants to share experiences. It is an important milestone toward implementation of the Paris Declaration and Accra Agenda of Action on Aid effectiveness and harmonization among multilateral finance institutions (MFIs).  Key among the immediate outcomes is the full updating of the Bank’s Integrated Safeguards System (ISS) and the revision of  its Social and Environmental Safeguards Assessment (SESA) for policy-based lending operations. SESA tools provide an entry point to reduce social and environmental risks in line with the Bank’s efforts to foster the transformation of African countries to green economies.