[afro-nets] APMI- Consultation in Cameroon February 24, 2007

[Neema Mgana <nmgana@yahoo.com>]

The ARYI African Participatory Monitoring Initiative (APMI)
-----------------------------------------------------------
Consultation in Cameroon February 24, 2007

Introduction:

Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers (PRSP) are prepared by
governments in low-income countries through a participatory
process involving domestic stakeholders as well as external
development partners, including the International Monetary Fund
(IMF) and the World Bank. To date, the involvement of civil
society in PRSP processes has been minimal in most African
countries. As a strategy to analyze the degree of civil society
engagement and also develop plans to promote civil society
participation, the African Regional Youth Initiative (ARYI)
proposes a series of civil society consultations to:

1. Amplify Stakeholders' Voices - Collect and disseminate the
opinions, critiques and suggestions of CSO regarding the PRSP.

2. Coordinate CSO Around Policy Issues - Foster discussion and
debate amongst CSO regarding the PRSP process, foster greater
CSO networking and greater regional CSO cooperation and
cohesiveness in PRSP processes.

3. Integrate Stakeholders Views into Viable Macroeconomic Policy
Prescriptions.

4. Mobilize for Open Dialogue - Mobilize CSO from all over the
continent to advocate for greater participation in the PRSP
process and/or alternative consultative processes where
stakeholders' concerns and ideas are valued and used to make
policy.

ARYI's PRSP Consultations:

Based on the organization' s expertise and outreach in Africa,
ARYI has developed a model consultation process for
implementation in twenty countries in Africa to achieve the
above objectives. By incorporating civil society's views and
voices in a concrete macroeconomic plan we hope to open up
policy dialogues and make them representative of stakeholders.

ARYI propose a series of CSO consultations in 2007 to take place
in African countries such as Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon,
Chad, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar,
Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Niger, Senegal, Tanzania,
Uganda, and Zambia. The consultation, taking place in Yaounde,
Cameroon will be the first of these meetings.

Consultation in Cameroon:

The consultation will take place on 24 February 2007 from
10:30am -3:00 pm at the MIFED Conference Hall in Etoa-Meki
neighbourhood in Yaounde, Cameroon. CSOs are welcome to
participate for free. For more information, please contact the
APMI Coordinator, Theodore Tangie at
<cameroon@africaninitiative.org> or <longtchi@yahoo.com>.

Special thank you to Myles Lennon who conducted both qualitative
and quantitative research on PRSPs in Africa that lead the
development of the APMI.

Feel free to circulate this message.

Thank you,
Neema

--
Neema Mgana
Founder
African Regional Youth Initiative
mailto:nmgana@africaninitiative.org
http://www.africaninitiative.org/af