Following a mandate from Francophone Ministers in Tokyo in October 2012, OIF and DFI have agreed an enhanced partnership on development financing issues. This will establish a technical network of senior officials from Finance Ministries from OIF IDA-eligible member states, which will be supported by country case studies and multi-country research on managing development finance, quarterly newsletters and a website. The technical network (which will hold its first meeting in April) will help member states to learn from one another about best practices in financing development, and to reach agreement on key issues for the Ministerial Network’s advocacy and lobbying activities.  

Does transferring aid money direct to the accounts of national institutions and organisations, i.e. ‘’localising aid”, strengthens the sectors in which this method is applied? This is the question raised by a new report from ODI which examines the impact of localising aid on the main 3 sectors of society- the state sector, the private sector and civil society- in stable low-income, middle-income, and fragile states. The study concludes that while not by any means a panacea, localising aid is a tool that cannot be ignored in any aid strategy aimed at strengthening state systems.