Senegal successfully closed its first cycle of the FPC CBP in March with an impressive response rate of 80%. It is now releasing results in a comprehensive report which analyses collected data on investor perception and foreign private capital. Click hereto read the detailed analysis and subsequent policy recommendations.  Also in the region, Benin closed its first FPC CBP cycle with closing and dissemination workshop, thus completing their first national survey of foreign private capital and investor perception, with a high response 74.4% response rate. The country report with survey results and policy recommendations will soon be posted on this page. Future events in the Franc Zone will be Cameroon closing its second cycle, followed by other dissemination events Guinea Bissau, Niger and Togo.

Liberia has reached HIPC completion point. The World Bank and the IMF have agreed to cancel 90% of Liberia’s debt stocks, totaling US$4.6 billion. For more details, read the IMF press release. For the Jubilee Debt Campaign website, click here. Liberia is joined by the Democratic Republic of Congo, thus becoming the 30th country to reach completion point, and receiving US$12.3 billion of relief. For more details, read the IMF press release. In other news, decision point for Comoros has been reached under the enhanced HIPC Initiative. This is a step forward for Comoros to receive US$144.8 million in debt relief in PV terms. More information here.

In the last two months, DFI participated in 6 major events around the BWI Spring Meetings, led analytical preparations for the UN Development Cooperation Forum, helped the ONE campaign to hold donors accountable for aid, launched its latest book on Private Capital Flows to LICs, helped Uganda design a Partnership Policy, and conducted multiple regional and country capacity-building events. In the next few months we will develop proposals to reduce the debt burdens of Commonwealth Small and Vulnerable Economies; publish analyses for UNESCO and Oxfam of the impact of the global crisis on MDG spending; write the United Nations International Development Cooperation Report; and work with our regional partners to relaunch major capacity-building programmes on debt strategy and foreign private capital in Africa and Latin America. For more details, see below or read our E-NEWSLETTER

DFI provided a resource person for UNCTAD at this workshop, the aim of which was to improve DRC’s methodology for monitoring FDI and TNC statistics.

This focussed on policy coherence for the MDGs, the role of foundations, CSOs and decentralised cooperation; mutual accountability and transparency; and the gender impact of aid.  DFI participated to share views on the issues and help finalise the UN Secretary-General’s report to the forthcoming DCF Ministerial Meeting in New York. For details of the meeting, click here.

This meeting, attended by representatives of developing countries, donors, CSOs and parliamentarians, discussed how to move forward on the Accra Agenda for Action commitment to increase international mutual accountability and transparency for aid. Based on the DCF review, it agreed a series of concrete steps to accelerate progress.

DFI participated in a DeMPA assessment mission led by the World Bank. It also met policy makers about continuing to provide its longstanding capacity-building support on debt management and potentially providing support on foreign private capital management

This report tracks whether the G8 have lived up to their pledges on aid to Africa. It was published drawing extensively on the HIPC CBP data where countries have evaluated the performance of their donors. To see the analysis, click here.

DFI prepared this review based on comprehensive surveys of sponsors of and participants in international and national MA and transparency mechanisms, conducted by the DCF and UNDP. It finds little progress and makes strong recommendations to strengthen accountability and transparency. To read the study, click here.

This second CIDA-financed mission organised by CEMLA reviewed the institutional framework for public debt management and produced a first draft law for Public Debt Management.