ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR AFRICA
6F 159 J
AFRICAN TRAINING AND RESEARCH CENTRE FOR WOMEN (ATRCW)
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB) - - -- - -- -
BRAINSTORMING SEMINAR ON WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT 2-4 February 1988
March 1988 Addis Ababa
AFRICAN DEVELOPMENT BANK (ADB)
BRAINSTORMING SEMINAR ON WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT 2-4 February 1988
1. A t h r e e day brainstorming seminar was organized by ADB, February 2-4 1988, t o review ADB p o l i c i e s and s t r a t e g i e s r e l a t e d t o women i n development (WID). The ADB had organized a s i m i l a r seminar i n 1985, and i n 1986 a colloquium on access o f women t o c r e d i t f a c i l i t i e s was a l s o h e l d . These e f f o r t s l e d t h e Bank t o c r e a t e a s p e c i a l u n i t f o r W I D programmes w i t h i n one of i t s o p e r a t i o n a l u n i t s . I n t h e l e a d opening statement of t h e meeting c i t o y e n Morisho Lusambia Yuma, Vice-President o f t h e Bank i n d i c a t e d t h a t , o r i g i n a l l y , t h e p l a n was t o i n t e g r a t e t h e women's i s s u e s i n t h e o p e r a t i v e a c t i v i t i e s of t h e Bank, however, i n o r d e r r e d r e s s t h e imbalance concerning
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women and i n t h e i n t e r e s t o f e q u i t y , t h e Bank deemed it important t o promote s p e c i a l a c t i v i t i e s t o b e n e f i t women. S i n c e many o r g a n i z a t i o n s had a l o n g e r experience on WID i s s u e s t h e ADB wanted t o b e n e f i t from t h e i r experience i n o r d e r t o g i v e r e l e v a n c e and v i t a l i t y t o i t s programme.
2. ADB recognized t h a t an immense e f f o r t needed t o be made t o f u l l y i n t e g r a t e t h e women's dimension i n i t s a c t i v i t i e s a s African women c o n s t i t u t e h a l f t h e population o f t h e r e g i o n , p l a y a dominant r o l e i n s u b s i s t e n c e a g r i c u l t u r e and c o n t r i b u t e g r e a t l y t o t h e growth o f t h e economy t h i s t a s k was important. I n t h e
r e s t r u c t u r i n g e x e r c i s e o f t h e Bank, one of t h e f i r s t a c t undertaken, was t h e promotion o f young women p r o f e s s i o n a l s i n t h e I n s t i t u t i o n , t h e y now c o n s t i t u t e 25% o f t h e s t a f f o f ADB.
L Seminar o b j e c t i v e and agenda o f t h e meeting
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3. The t h r e e o b j e c t i v e s o f t h e c o n s u l t a t i o n s were p r e s e n t e d by t h e o r g a n i z e r s a s being (a) t o make c o n c r e t e p r o p o s a l s and recommendation on p o l i c y i s s u e s which could be used by t h e Bank t o f i n a l i z e a p o l i c y paper on WID (b) t o e x p l o r e ways and means o f improving t h e impact o f t h e bank f i n a n c i a l i n t e r v e n t i o n on t h e i n t e g r a t i o n o f African women i n t h e development p r o c e s s (c) t o d i s c u s s p o s s i b l e avenues o f cooperation among e x t e r n a l f i n a n c i e r s i n t h i s programme. With t h e s e o b j e c t i v e s a s g u i d e l i n e s two t o p i c s were considered i n d e t a i l , namely, t h e lending o p e r a t i o n s o f t h e ADB and women i n
development i n African i n t h e c o n t e x t of t h e African s i t u a t i o n .
4 . P a r t i c i p a n t s were exposed t o ADB o p e r a t i o n s p a r t i c u l a r l y f o r t h e y e a r 1987.
The Bank group commitment, t h a t i s t h e Bank group l o a n approval, amounted approximately t o US$2140.14 m i l l i o n s i n 1987 a s a g a i n s t US$1640.33 m i l l i o n i n 1986. I n l i n e w i t h t h i s expansion t h e commitment by ADB r o s e from US$1054.10 m i l l i o n i n 1986 t o US$1343.20 m i l l i o n i n 1987 showing an i n c r e a s e of 29.9% while t h o s e of t h e African Development
Fund (ADF) and Nigeria Trust Fund (NTF) stood at US$700.03 million; an increase
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of 19.44% over the 1986 figures. -
In terms of sectors the ADB lending in 1987 showed that 42.8% went to agriculture, 21.3% to industry, 12.5% for transport and only 6.6 to education and health, areas of particular interest to women. In so far as regions are concerned, the Bank group lending in 1987 indicated that countries in West Africa region
received 34.4% and North Africa 31.2%. The Southern African region received 15.2%, and East Africa 9.8%. The Central Africa region obtain 9%. One additional important feature of the Bank group operations in 1987 was the significant increase in the number of "rehabilitation, sectoral, and structural adjustment loans". Thus Congo,
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Guinea Bissau, Sao Tome Principe, Senegal, Ghana, Mauritius, Morocco, Tanzania, Tunisia, Zambia benefited from such loans. These vary according to the sector
affected and included quick disbursing loans to agricultural, industrial and transport sectors.
5 . While in plenary general comments and presentation of their experiences were
made by the participants. ECA presentedlelaborated on the lessons learnt during the mtd +-
last Decade in designing and implement a women in development programme, it was clear that for the formulation of ADB policies the Bank needed in depth consideration of the following problems.
(a) Nature and role of ADB with regard to women in development taking into account its mandate and status as an African financing institution in development.
L (b) The complementarity between specific projects addressed to women and general projects which could take the concern of women into consideration.
(c) Inter-agency cooperation in the African region with regard to women in development.
Work of sub-committees
6. To consider the above points three subcornittees were set to consider the subject and report to the plenery. These committees were chaired by UNIFEM, UNICEF
and ECA respectively (see list attach&). Since all three of the sub-cornmi-ttegs- - were considering the same agenda the reports of the three sub-committees were
synthesized and discussed in plenary. Finally the following recommendations emerged as the recommendations of the Seminar.
Recommendat ions
1. A policy statement on women i n development of ADB should s t a t e t h a t WID
being a p r i o r i t y a r e a of t h e Bank, conceptually WID should permeate a l l development s e c t o r s and not be viewed i n terms of women's t r a d i t i o n a l a c t i v i t i e s only. I t should t h e r e f o r e be p a r t of a l l programme p o l i c i e s of t h e bank.
2 . In order t o obtain complete i n t e g r a t i o n of WID concepts i n t o t h e general
a c t i v i t i e s o f t h e Bank t h e following t a s k s w i l l have t o be c a r r i e d out.
(a) In collaboration with ECA and INSTRAW building a data bank on women i n
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development, and a s f a r
as
~ o s s i b l e a s s o c i a t e o t h e r relevant i n s t i t u t i o n s and member - S t a t e s i n t h i s p r o j e c t .L
(b) Strengthen ADB capacity i n dealing with women's i s s u e by organizing t r a i n i n g and r e f r e s h e r courses f o r i t s key personnel and f o r planning experts i n member S t a t e s .
(c) Review current p r o j e c t s of ADB with a view of i n i t i a t i n g c o r r e c t i v e measures, i f need be t o incorporate a women i n development dimension i n t o t h e s e p r o j e c t s .
(d) Ensure t h a t i n t h e formulation of new p r o j e c t s of t h e Bank, t h e WID u n i t i n t h e Bank i s consulted so t h a t g r e a t e r consideration and adequate a t t e n t i o n , i s given t o women's needs.
(e) I n i t i a t e a pro-active policy towards member S t a t e s t o s e n s i t i z e them on t h e p o l i c i e s of ADB and t o t h e needs and c o n s t r a i n t s faced by them f o r an e f f e c t i v e r o l e i n development such a s t h e lack of t r a i n i n g and t h e i r d i f f i c u l t y towards access t o productive resources.
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( f ) Ensure, as f a r as p o s s i b l e , t h e p a r t i c i p a t i o n of women and women organizations i n a l l stages of p r o j e c t cycles: i d e n t i f i c a t i o n , preparation evaluation follow up and post evaluation a c t i v i t i e s .
(g) Organize t r a i n i n g courses f o r women leaders and technical personnel of t h e Bank on i n t e g r a t i n g women's i s s u e i n development p r o j e c t s .
(h) Elaborate guidelines and c h e c k l i s t f o r ADB missions f o r t h e formulation of p r o j e c t s with a view of systematizing t h e approach t o WID i s s u e s .
( i ) With regard t o lending p o l i c i e s of t h e Bank ensure t h a t i n every s e c t o r lending s p e c i f i c p r o j e c t s f o r women a r e incorporated. Equally i n loan agreements conditions favourable f o r t h e access t o resources by women should be incorporated.
(j) Encourage n a t i o n a l development banks t o respond t o c r e d i t needs of women i n r u r a l and urban a r e a s and support t h e programme of Women's world Banking a c t i v i t i e s i n t h e f i e l d .
(k) 'ADB should c o l l a b o r a t e w i t h NGOs a s w e l l a s promote NGO cooperation w i t h member S t a t e s .
(1) While t h e r e s o u r c e s of t h e WID u n i t i n t h e Bank should be s t r e n g t h e n e d an
e x t e r n a l a d v i s o r y c o n s u l t a t i v e committee should be c r e a t e d t o examine annual p r o g r e s s and any o b s t a c l e s t h a t have a r i s e n i n implementing a WID p o l i c y i n t h e Bank.
(m) S i n c e t h e ADB o r g a n i z e s a symposium a s p a r t of i t s annual Governing Council
'L meeting, one o f t h e s u b j e c t s t o be considered should be women i n development.
(n) Donor o r g a n i z a t i o n o f t h e Bank who meet once a y e a r should a l s o be s e n s i t i z e d t o WID i s s u e s and encouraged t o cooperate i n t h i s f i e l d .
Conclusions
Though t h e r e were a member o f documents p r e s e n t e d t o t h e p a r t i c i p a n t s on t h e - - - - - o p e r a t i o n o f t h e Bank i n g e n e r a l m a t e r i a l r e l a t e d t o ADB and women i n development
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i s s u e s were few cm f a r between. Tb=m&~-e, t h e ECA r e p r e s e n t a t i v e t o g e t h e r w i t h o t h e r key p a r t i c i p a n t s e x e r t e d a g r e a t d e a l o f e f f o r t t o formulate i d e a s and
recommendations, on t h e s u b j e c t . The need f o r t r a i n i n g , k p r o - a c t i v e p o l i c y of t h e bank t h e n e c e s s i t y o f an a d v i s o r y committee were among t h e major c o n t r i b u t i o n s made by ECA.
SEMINAIRE DE PROSPECTION D'IDEES SUR LES QUESTIONS DE POLITIQUE
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