Building on their earlier work in evaluating multilateral aid organizations, DFI and the Global Economic Governance Programme of Oxford University have been contracted in partnership by the African Development Bank to conduct an independent review of its performance by its African clients, during March-October 2011. The review will involve extensive consultations with government policymakers and officials, parliamentarians, civil society organizations, private sector representatives and representatives of other African organizations which work with the AfDB, through workshops, interviews and surveys.

The second mission of the national capacity building programme in aid management, and audit and control is currently taking place in Conakry. After the first evaluation mission which reviewed the Guinean regulatory, legal, institutional and operational framework, two DFI consultants are now implementing the agreed schedule by launching a training programme for Ministry of Finance executives and public investment experts.

DFI participated in UNCTAD's Peer Review Meeting in Geneva on 1 February, to discuss sections of the World Investment Report 2011. It also presented synthesis findings at UNCTAD's Multi-Year Expert Meeting on Investment for Development during 2-4 February. The meeting was well attended by international experts, and a number of countries from the SSA and LAC regions. Discussions focussed on the nexus between public and private, domestic and foreign investment, looking at different types of capital flows, and the role of public investment in boosting growth, private investment, and industrial policy.

DFI continued to assist the Government of East Timor in building its debt management capacity, by launching the preparation of a debt management procedures manual which will assist government to organise all procedures and information flows. This will be finalised during a mission in Q1.

DRI participated in this workshop organized in Dakar, Senegal by Pôle-Dette and sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF. Participants familiarized themselves with the MTDS framework and were shown how to analyze the costs and risks and how to use the simulation software to support the elaboration of the MTDS.

DFI was funded by the Swiss Ministry for Economic Affairs to conduct this mission to Khartoum to assist the government with technical inputs for planning potential debt relief under the HIPC process, depending on various decisions relating to the treatment of debt in the discussions on secession by Southern Sudan. It also assisted the government to plan a 4-year programme for capacity-building to maximize its debt relief and ensure its debt remains sustainable after relief.

DFI was funded by the Heinrich Boell Foundation to attend this meeting of more than 100 global development CSOs, planning their engagement with the G8 and G20 for 2011, in order to analyse implications for cooperation between CSOs and low-income countries. For regular updates by the Foundation on the G20, click here.

DFI attended highly productive meetings between the UN Development Cooperation Forum secretariat and the OECD Development Cooperation Directorate to plan cooperation over the next two year cycle of the DCF. Meetings were also held with Better Aid and UNESCO to discuss cooperation on DCF events.

A DFI associate, funded by UNDP, assisted the Government of Rwanda to design a Resource Mobilisation Strategy to fund the national development programme. This focussed on diversifying financing sources away from OECD aid to new concessional and private financing sources.

DFI participated in a DeMPA assessment mission to Bhutan led by the World Bank on 13-20 December. The mission met with senior policymakers about providing longstanding capacity-building support in debt management. The mission also made a presentation on the IMF-World Bank Debt Sustainability Framework (DSF). A second DeMPA joint mission of the World Bank, UNCTAD, and DRI visited Mongolia on 15-20 December to conduct an assessment of debt management in the country and also provided training in risk analysis, debt and sustainability.