WACAR Regional meeting gets underway in Banjul

ActionAid Country and Executive Directors, Programme Staff and Regional Coordinators from the West and Central Region (WACAR) began meeting today in the Gambian capital Banjul. The meeting affords them the opportunity to enhance sharing of experiences and further improve working relations among Country Programmes.

This meeting will review the future Strategy 2012 – 2017 as it affects the region, and to identify areas of convergence in the objectives of the Strategy.

The outcome of the review will help guide their interventions over the next five years.

At the opening ceremony, the chairperson of the Board of Directors of ActionAid International The Gambia, Lawyer Janet Sallah-Njie, stated that even though we are mindful of the fact that we are part of a unique federation, and are always cautioned against thinking in silos; we must as a matter of necessity, address matters relating to diversity and the peculiar problems, challenges and priorities that are unique to us as a region,” she said. “We must work with concerted efforts to ensure that our priorities and concerns are taken on board and reflected adequately in our strategic objectives.”

The Executive Director of ActionAid International The Gambia, Dr Kujejatou Manneh, noted that the meeting came at a time when “we are taking stock of gains and experiences, mapping the way forward and designing a new strategy to further guide our interventions in fulfilling our mission and vision.”

She expressed the hope that the outcome will be an exceptional one that will make a difference in our fight to end poverty and injustice at all levels.

These sentiments were also expressed by Mrs Adwoa Kluvitse, WACAR chairperson, and the Country Director for Ghana, who also called for frank and honest discussions.

 The focus of today’s meeting was the Future Strategy 2012-2017 which began with Hussaini Abdu, Country Director of ActionAid Nigeria, presenting an overview of the strategy drafting process. This was followed by comments on the strategy by individual country programmes.

 Mr Tennyson Williams, the Regional Director for West and Central Africa, taking the participants through the meeting agenda, said over the next four days the meeting will focus on HRBA Capacity Building Initiative and M&E Recommendations Rollout, regional support to country programmes, internationalisation in retrospect and mapping the way forward, all of which will help the region help ActionAid achieve its mission.