Africa Progress Panel
Encyclopedia
The Africa Progress Panel (APP) consists of a group of distinguished individuals chaired by Kofi Annan
whose objective is to track and encourage progress in Africa
, and to underscore shared responsibility between African leaders and their international partners for sustaining it.
The APP was originally formed as a vehicle to maintain a focus on the commitments to Africa made by the international community in the wake of the Gleneagles G8 Summit and of the Commission for Africa Report in 2007. Under the chairmanship of Kofi Annan
, it is paying equal attention to the implementation of Africa's commitments as set out in the Constitutive Act of the African Union
and landmark international agreements. In 2008, a secretariat was established in Geneva
.
Panel members are Kofi Annan
, Michel Camdessus
, Peter Eigen
, Bob Geldof
, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Graça Machel
, Linah Mohohlo
, Robert Rubin
, Tidjane Thiam
and Muhammad Yunus
. A Geneva-based Secretariat supports the Panel in three main areas: research and policy; advocacy and communication; and preparation of APP core products, including the annual Africa Progress Report; a fortnightly news bulletin; and policy briefs on timely issues. The Secretariat is headed by Caroline Kende-Robb.
The Panel continually assesses opportunities and threats to Africa’s development, including how far commitments to and from Africa are being met. They use their judgment and experience to highlight pressing concerns, inspire honest debate amongst leaders and civil society, help mobilise resources and prompt effective action.
following recommendations in the Africa Progress Report and policy briefs.
organizations, policy institutes.
and private sector.
This includes:
• Tracking progress by highlighting good practices and positive change in Africa that lead to
sustained development across the region.
• Monitoring the role of Africa’s trading, donor and investment partners in supporting the
continent’s progress.
• Supporting African initiatives driving social, economic and/or political progress whether it is
brought about by African leaders, institutions or international partners.
• Identifying sources and drivers of equitable growth such as investment in infrastructure, energy
and entrepreneurship.
• Encouraging action and partnerships to address issues that determine the quality of growth and
human development, such as climate change and maternal health.
More concretely, the APP:
Supports the activities of the Chair and Panel members in their interactions with African, G8, G20 and
other leaders to encourage action on priority issues
• Publishes policy briefs and policy recommendations on current topics that have so far
received insufficient attention or are lacking a clear champion.
• Draws media attention to crucial issues especially in the run-up to important events such as G8
and G20 meetings.
• Raises the profile of African/international partners and strengthens partnerships and
synergies between key actors - political leaders, institutions, experts, civil society, and private
sector.
• Participates in various political fora and high-level regional and international meetings.
• Issues a fortnightly bulletin that provides a snapshot of Africa’s main development news and
an update of the latest development among Africa’s partners, the G8/G20 and multilateral and
UN organizations.
Kofi Annan
- Former Secretary-General of the United Nations
and Nobel Laureate
Michel Camdessus
- Former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
Peter Eigen
- Founder and Chair of the Advisory Council, Transparency International
and Chairman of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
Bob Geldof
- Musician, Businessman, Founder and Chair of Band Aid
, Live Aid
and Live 8
, Co-founder of DATA
, and ONE
Graça Machel
- President of the Foundation for Community Development and founder of New faces New Voices.
Linah Mohohlo
- Governor, Bank of Botswana
Olusegun Obasanjo - Special Envoy of the UN Sectratry Geneal on the Great Lakes Regionsl and former President of Nigeria
Robert Rubin
- Co-Chairman of the Board, Council on Foreign Relations and former Secretary of the United States Treasury
Tidjane Thiam
- Chief Executive Officer, Prudential Plc
Muhammad Yunus
- Economist, Founder of Grameen Bank
and Nobel Laureate
Africa Progress Report 2011: The Transformative Power of Partnerships
This year, the Africa Progress Report is dedicated to the transformative power of partnerships. While the idea of pooling a range of actors and their energy, creativity and resources around specific development challenges is hardly new, too few success stories are replicated or brought to scale to effect lasting structural change. Against this backdrop, this year’s report identifies partnership models that have already proven their transformative potential and assesses how to create the policy framework and incentive structure needed to spur further collaboration for progress. The report argues that all actors, including governments, international organizations, the private sector and civil society, can do more to facilitate the spread of successful models across sectors and countries, and that doing so is in their self-interest. It also argues that much work remains to be done to convince all sides of the inherent benefits of partnering for progress. This is the main purpose of this report.
Africa Progress Report 2010 - From Agenda to Action: Turning Resources into Results for People
Africa Progress Panel members Kofi Annan, Peter Eigen, Linah Mohohlo and Olusegun Obasanjo launched the Africa Progress Report 2010 on 25 May 2010 in Johannesburg. The landmark publication analyses the continent’s progress and issues key recommendations to African leaders and its international partners. The report was launched in coordination with the launch of ONE's 2010 DATA Report
Annual Report 2009 - An Agenda for Progress at a Time of Global Crisis: A Call for African Leadership
An Agenda for Progress at a Time of Global Crisis: A Call for African Leadership
The APP Annual Report was launched on June 10th at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, South Africa by Kofi Annan, Linah Mohohlo and Graça Machel.
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
whose objective is to track and encourage progress in Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
, and to underscore shared responsibility between African leaders and their international partners for sustaining it.
The APP was originally formed as a vehicle to maintain a focus on the commitments to Africa made by the international community in the wake of the Gleneagles G8 Summit and of the Commission for Africa Report in 2007. Under the chairmanship of Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
, it is paying equal attention to the implementation of Africa's commitments as set out in the Constitutive Act of the African Union
African Union
The African Union is a union consisting of 54 African states. The only all-African state not in the AU is Morocco. Established on 9 July 2002, the AU was formed as a successor to the Organisation of African Unity...
and landmark international agreements. In 2008, a secretariat was established in Geneva
Geneva
Geneva In the national languages of Switzerland the city is known as Genf , Ginevra and Genevra is the second-most-populous city in Switzerland and is the most populous city of Romandie, the French-speaking part of Switzerland...
.
Panel members are Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
, Michel Camdessus
Michel Camdessus
Michel Camdessus is a French applied economist and administrator who was Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund from 16 January 1987 to 14 February 2000. To date, he is the longest serving Managing Director of the IMF....
, Peter Eigen
Peter Eigen
Peter Eigen founded the Advisory Council of Transparency International , a non-governmental organization promoting transparency and accountability in international development since 1993...
, Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
, General Olusegun Obasanjo, Graça Machel
Graça Machel
Graça Machel, DBE is a Mozambican politician and humanitarian. She is the third wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela and the widow of Mozambican president Samora Machel...
, Linah Mohohlo
Linah Mohohlo
Linah Mohohlo is a Botswana banker. She has been the Governor of the Bank of Botswana since 1999, and is a member of the Commission for Africa....
, Robert Rubin
Robert Rubin
Robert Edward Rubin served as the 70th United States Secretary of the Treasury during both the first and second Clinton administrations. Before his government service, he spent 26 years at Goldman Sachs eventually serving as a member of the Board, and Co-Chairman from 1990-1992...
, Tidjane Thiam
Tidjane Thiam
Tidjane Thiam is a French-Ivorian businessman, currently the Chief Executive of Prudential plc. He studied engineering in France before joining the management consultants McKinsey & Company in 1986; from 1994 to 1999 he worked in Côte d'Ivoire first as a senior civil servant and later as the...
and Muhammad Yunus
Muhammad Yunus
Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, an institution that provides microcredit to help its clients establish creditworthiness and financial self-sufficiency. In 2006 Yunus and Grameen received the Nobel Peace Prize...
. A Geneva-based Secretariat supports the Panel in three main areas: research and policy; advocacy and communication; and preparation of APP core products, including the annual Africa Progress Report; a fortnightly news bulletin; and policy briefs on timely issues. The Secretariat is headed by Caroline Kende-Robb.
The Panel continually assesses opportunities and threats to Africa’s development, including how far commitments to and from Africa are being met. They use their judgment and experience to highlight pressing concerns, inspire honest debate amongst leaders and civil society, help mobilise resources and prompt effective action.
What does the APP want to achieve?
- Centrality of African issues at G20, G8, EU and other meetings. Policy impact and change
following recommendations in the Africa Progress Report and policy briefs.
- Awareness of the APP among G8/G20, OECD and African Heads of State, multi- and bilateral
organizations, policy institutes.
- Strengthening mutual accountability frameworks between Africa and its partners, both public
and private sector.
How is the APP doing it?
The APP’s work is aimed to contribute to shape policy priorities and high-level decisions.This includes:
• Tracking progress by highlighting good practices and positive change in Africa that lead to
sustained development across the region.
• Monitoring the role of Africa’s trading, donor and investment partners in supporting the
continent’s progress.
• Supporting African initiatives driving social, economic and/or political progress whether it is
brought about by African leaders, institutions or international partners.
• Identifying sources and drivers of equitable growth such as investment in infrastructure, energy
and entrepreneurship.
• Encouraging action and partnerships to address issues that determine the quality of growth and
human development, such as climate change and maternal health.
More concretely, the APP:
Supports the activities of the Chair and Panel members in their interactions with African, G8, G20 and
other leaders to encourage action on priority issues
• Publishes policy briefs and policy recommendations on current topics that have so far
received insufficient attention or are lacking a clear champion.
• Draws media attention to crucial issues especially in the run-up to important events such as G8
and G20 meetings.
• Raises the profile of African/international partners and strengthens partnerships and
synergies between key actors - political leaders, institutions, experts, civil society, and private
sector.
• Participates in various political fora and high-level regional and international meetings.
• Issues a fortnightly bulletin that provides a snapshot of Africa’s main development news and
an update of the latest development among Africa’s partners, the G8/G20 and multilateral and
UN organizations.
The Panel
The Panel is composed of the following members:Kofi Annan
Kofi Annan
Kofi Atta Annan is a Ghanaian diplomat who served as the seventh Secretary-General of the UN from 1 January 1997 to 31 December 2006...
- Former Secretary-General of the United Nations
United Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
and Nobel Laureate
Michel Camdessus
Michel Camdessus
Michel Camdessus is a French applied economist and administrator who was Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund from 16 January 1987 to 14 February 2000. To date, he is the longest serving Managing Director of the IMF....
- Former Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund
International Monetary Fund
The International Monetary Fund is an organization of 187 countries, working to foster global monetary cooperation, secure financial stability, facilitate international trade, promote high employment and sustainable economic growth, and reduce poverty around the world...
Peter Eigen
Peter Eigen
Peter Eigen founded the Advisory Council of Transparency International , a non-governmental organization promoting transparency and accountability in international development since 1993...
- Founder and Chair of the Advisory Council, Transparency International
Transparency International
Transparency International is a non-governmental organization that monitors and publicizes corporate and political corruption in international development. It publishes an annual Corruption Perceptions Index, a comparative listing of corruption worldwide...
and Chairman of the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative.
Bob Geldof
Bob Geldof
Robert Frederick Zenon "Bob" Geldof, KBE is an Irish singer, songwriter, author, occasional actor and political activist. He rose to prominence as the lead singer of the Irish rock band The Boomtown Rats in the late 1970s and early 1980s alongside the punk rock movement. The band had hits with his...
- Musician, Businessman, Founder and Chair of Band Aid
Band Aid
Band Aid may refer to:* Band Aid , a musical ensemble raising money for famine relief* "Band Aid", a song on Pixie Lott's album Turn It Up* Band-Aid, a brand of adhesive bandage** Adhesive bandage, a genericised trademark...
, Live Aid
Live Aid
Live Aid was a dual-venue concert that was held on 13 July 1985. The event was organized by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure to raise funds for relief of the ongoing Ethiopian famine. Billed as the "global jukebox", the event was held simultaneously in Wembley Stadium in London, England, United Kingdom ...
and Live 8
Live 8
Live 8 was a string of benefit concerts that took place on 2 July 2005, in the G8 states and in South Africa. They were timed to precede the G8 Conference and summit held at the Gleneagles Hotel in Auchterarder, Scotland from 6–8 July 2005; they also coincided with the 20th anniversary of Live Aid...
, Co-founder of DATA
DATA
Debt, AIDS, Trade, Africa was a multinational non-government organization founded in January 2002 in London by U2's Bono along with Bobby Shriver and activists from the Jubilee 2000 Drop the Debt campaign....
, and ONE
Graça Machel
Graça Machel
Graça Machel, DBE is a Mozambican politician and humanitarian. She is the third wife of former South African president Nelson Mandela and the widow of Mozambican president Samora Machel...
- President of the Foundation for Community Development and founder of New faces New Voices.
Linah Mohohlo
Linah Mohohlo
Linah Mohohlo is a Botswana banker. She has been the Governor of the Bank of Botswana since 1999, and is a member of the Commission for Africa....
- Governor, Bank of Botswana
Olusegun Obasanjo - Special Envoy of the UN Sectratry Geneal on the Great Lakes Regionsl and former President of Nigeria
Robert Rubin
Robert Rubin
Robert Edward Rubin served as the 70th United States Secretary of the Treasury during both the first and second Clinton administrations. Before his government service, he spent 26 years at Goldman Sachs eventually serving as a member of the Board, and Co-Chairman from 1990-1992...
- Co-Chairman of the Board, Council on Foreign Relations and former Secretary of the United States Treasury
Tidjane Thiam
Tidjane Thiam
Tidjane Thiam is a French-Ivorian businessman, currently the Chief Executive of Prudential plc. He studied engineering in France before joining the management consultants McKinsey & Company in 1986; from 1994 to 1999 he worked in Côte d'Ivoire first as a senior civil servant and later as the...
- Chief Executive Officer, Prudential Plc
Muhammad Yunus
Muhammad Yunus
Muhammad Yunus is a Bangladeshi economist and founder of the Grameen Bank, an institution that provides microcredit to help its clients establish creditworthiness and financial self-sufficiency. In 2006 Yunus and Grameen received the Nobel Peace Prize...
- Economist, Founder of Grameen Bank
Grameen Bank
The Grameen Bank is a microfinance organization and community development bank started in Bangladesh that makes small loans to the impoverished without requiring collateral...
and Nobel Laureate
Publications
The Africa Progress Panel publishes a number of reports, briefs and newsletters. The purpose of all of these is to draw attention to specific blockages to the continent's development, propose ways to overcome them and catalyze actions on them. Publications can be found here: http://africaprogresspanel.org/en/our-work/publications/Africa Progress Briefs
These are succinct and rigorous policy briefs that highlight a pressing concern (e.g. the impact of climate change on Africa, the prevalence of maternal mortality or the need for domestic accountability). They are intended to inspire debate on the basis of success stories, blockages and recommendations for action and aimed at specific constituencies.Fortnightly Bulletin
The bulletin is intended to provide Panel members, their staff and key stake holders with a snapshot of the issues and events of central concern to the APP.The Africa Progress Report
The Africa Progress Panel publishes an annual report that takes stock of the continent's development and provides key policy recommendations to African leaders and their partners.Africa Progress Report 2011: The Transformative Power of Partnerships
This year, the Africa Progress Report is dedicated to the transformative power of partnerships. While the idea of pooling a range of actors and their energy, creativity and resources around specific development challenges is hardly new, too few success stories are replicated or brought to scale to effect lasting structural change. Against this backdrop, this year’s report identifies partnership models that have already proven their transformative potential and assesses how to create the policy framework and incentive structure needed to spur further collaboration for progress. The report argues that all actors, including governments, international organizations, the private sector and civil society, can do more to facilitate the spread of successful models across sectors and countries, and that doing so is in their self-interest. It also argues that much work remains to be done to convince all sides of the inherent benefits of partnering for progress. This is the main purpose of this report.
Africa Progress Report 2010 - From Agenda to Action: Turning Resources into Results for People
Africa Progress Panel members Kofi Annan, Peter Eigen, Linah Mohohlo and Olusegun Obasanjo launched the Africa Progress Report 2010 on 25 May 2010 in Johannesburg. The landmark publication analyses the continent’s progress and issues key recommendations to African leaders and its international partners. The report was launched in coordination with the launch of ONE's 2010 DATA Report
Annual Report 2009 - An Agenda for Progress at a Time of Global Crisis: A Call for African Leadership
An Agenda for Progress at a Time of Global Crisis: A Call for African Leadership
The APP Annual Report was launched on June 10th at the World Economic Forum in Cape Town, South Africa by Kofi Annan, Linah Mohohlo and Graça Machel.