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Capacity Building for Regional Integration in Africa

Since independence, African leaders have embraced Regional Integration (RI) as a way to replace links with the former colonial powers. It was considered to be crucial in achieving economic development, promoting regional stability and guaranteeing African influence in international negotiations. The 1960s and the 1970s saw the birth of many regional organizations, but sadly, few have produced tangible results. In recent years there has been a renewed interest in regional integration and cooperation as a channel for promoting economic growth and sustainable development. 

This renewal of interest may be explained by two main factors. The first one is the optimism created by the economic recovery of most African countries and the emerging effects of globalization and market transformation, in which regional cooperation has much to offer. The second is the growing perception that cooperation is essential for long-term sustainable development. This conviction goes beyond Africa and is most clearly seen in the growth of trading blocs such as the EU and NAFTA. However, despite continuing verbal commitments to regional integration and cooperation in Africa, the RI initiatives have achieved little success. One practical element that has led to this poor performance is the lack of strategies and human resources.

Training of government officials and technocrats charged with the implementation of regional policies, and finding ways to motivate them are key elements that will help to achieve the objective of RI. A critical mass of dedicated people within the administration is needed to ensure continuity. Exchange programmes and increased contacts at the personal level also play a major role in building support for regional cooperation initiatives and in creating a common language between the actors and stakeholders - both public and private - in the countries concerned. 

The Regional Integration training course being organized by IDEP from January to April 2004 is one in a series by the Institute aimed at meeting the human capacity needs of African policy makers with regard to RI issues. The course is meant for middle and senior level policy-makers -ministers, directors and permanent secretaries responsible for integration matters in government and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) such as ECOWAS, SADC, COMESA, ECCAS, CEN-SAD, IGAD and the Commission of the African Union. 

UPDATE ON TRAINING ACTIVITIES

The MA Programme on Economic Policy and Management

Academic Year 2003/2004 

This full-time Master's degree programme focuses on the analysis of economic management, planning and policy-making aspects of the development process. The programme, offered annually, includes a taught component (November to July) and supervised research for a dissertation (August to April). The programme also includes field visits to industries and institutions within Senegal to examine a wide range of policy and planning initiatives at the macro and local levels.

First Semester (03 November 2003 - 26 March 2004)

The modules to be taught during the first semester include a range of topics that lay the foundation for the study of economic development and research methodologies and techniques which managers and planners need to do their work. It also complements and extends students' specialist professional or academic background by providing instruction and practice in the use of documentary and data sources for the preparation and presentation of written reports or papers.
Detailed courses scheduled during the semester can be viewed here.

Second Semester (29 March-30 July 2004)

The modules taught during the second semester introduce a range of courses on macro and multi sectoral modeling, regional development and planning, regional economic cooperation and integration, international trade and finance, among others. A full list of the courses giving detailed schedules for the semester can be viewed and downloaded Here.

Theses : Training seminars on MA research proposals and designation of thesis supervisors

From 31 October to 07 November 2003, training seminars were organized for fourteen (14) trainees of the 2002/2004 batch and two (2) from previous batches; these sessions enabled trainees to present their research proposals and avail themselves of the different remarks, criticisms and suggestions with a view to improving their research work. Furthermore, after taking into account the different suggestions and remarks in the final version of the research proposals, the Training Division assigned supervisors to the trainees. The following link provides the names of the trainees and the titles of thesis research to be undertaken. To see the list of the trainees and the selected thesis research titles, please go here.

Short Courses

The Agricultural Policy Analysis Course: Anglophone Session

The Francophone session of the course on Agricultural Policy Analysis in Africa was organized from 22 September to 23 October 2003. This session was the second to be fully sponsored by IDEP this year, except for 2 participants who obtained funding from other sources. A total of 23 participants were selected amongst 132 nominees. They came from 21 different countries, namely: Angola, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Senegal and Togo. The selection of candidates was based on academic qualification, professional experience, current job responsibilities, gender and geographical balance, among other criteria. Out of the 21 participants sponsored by IDEP, 10 were women. 

The programme covered 12 topics structured into 3 modules. Emphasis was put on challenging policy issues relevant to agricultural development in Africa, practical methods and analytical tools, and sharing of country experiences. The courses were delivered by six resource persons from international organizations (World Bank, International Labour Organization) as well as national institutions of higher learning (University of Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso, National School of Applied Economics in Senegal), the Private Sector and IDEP. A representative of the farming community in Senegal was also invited to share experience on autonomous rural producers' associations around the concept of family farms. 

The closing ceremony took place on 23 October 2003. Institutions represented were the Senegalese Ministry of Agriculture (Chair); the Directorate of Planning; the Embassies of Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Congo, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Madagascar and Mali; the Conference of Ministers of Agriculture in West and Central Africa (CMA/WCA); the Agricultural Policy Expertise Network (APEN); FAO; and the UNDP.

An evaluation of the session by the trainees was highly positive with respect to the content of the programme, course delivery and general conditions of implementation. All the participants successfully completed the requirements and got their certificates.


Course on Regional Integration in Africa

Background

Given the remarkable increase in regional integration activities and agreements as well as the emergence of the global economy, much of which has been based on the building of regional economic blocks in the past decade, an understanding of their economic rationale and consequences is essential. Policymakers at national and regional levels need to master the conceptual, empirical, and policy issues arising from regional integration initiatives in an informed, comprehensible, and accessible manner. 

With financial support from BADEA, IDEP and the African Union (AU) are organizing a course on Regional Integration in Africa in an effort to build capacity in this area for sustainable regional economic development initiatives. The course will be organized in two sessions involving Anglophone and Francophone groups. The Anglophone session will take place from 19 January to 20 February 2004, while the Francophone session is scheduled for 22 March to 23 April 2004. Both sessions will be held at IDEP, Dakar, Senegal.

Description of the course
The main objective of the course is to enhance the skills and capacity of participants for promoting regional integration and managing regionalism in Africa as a key element of African development. The course deals with conceptual and empirical issues in African regionalism, problems and challenges for the transformation and growth of African economies.

Target participants

The course is meant for middle and senior level policy-makers -ministers, directors and permanent secretaries responsible for integration matters in government and Regional Economic Communities (RECs) such as ECOWAS, SADC, COMESA, ECCAS, CEN-SAD, IGAD and the Commission of the African Union. Participants are expected to have relevant practical experience in the area of regional integration and hold a minimum qualification of a Bachelor's Degree.

Resource persons

Resource persons will include specialists in economic integration and co-operation, policy analysis and management in Africa, experts in the design of macro-economic policies with special emphasis on economic integration and specialization in the design, appraisal and management of a wide range of integration projects and initiatives.

Pedagogical approach

This will combine lectures and presentations but emphasize practical applications through the use of case studies and group discussions.
Participants will have to work in groups and may present short technical reports on specific themes covered in the course or of special interest related to African integration. An evaluation may be done at the end of the session.

Course duration

- Number of weeks: 5 per session
- Total number of hours: 125

Number of participants: 25 per session

Course content

The following 10 modules will be taught:
- Economic Integration: Conceptual & Theoretical Issues and Pan-African Integration;
- Regionalism and the Global Economy: Africa in the Global Economy;
- Experiences of Economic Integration in Africa;
- Interlocking problems of African Regionalism;
- Monetary Cooperation and African Economic Integration;
- Case Studies of Economic Integration Schemes in Africa;
- Industrial Policies and Strategies within a Regional Integration Context;
- Multinational Programmes in Regional Integration ;
- Enhancing Capacity for African Economic Integration;
- Towards an African Economic Community/African Union.

Public Seminar on the MDGs, NEPAD and PRSPs

On 20 November 2003, IDEP organized a public Seminar chaired by the Director, Mr. Diery Seck on the topic: Millennium Development Goals, New Partnership for Africa's Development and the Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers. The guest speaker was Mr Ahmed Rhazaoui, UNDP Resident Representative and Coordinator of the UN system in Senegal. Participants came from international organizations, diplomatic representations and ministries, in addition to IDEP's staff and trainees.

Survey on living conditions of MA Trainees in Dakar

The Training Division has completed the survey on living conditions of IDEP's MA trainees. Information was collected particularly on housing, transportation, documentation, health and leisure. All the 14 trainees from the 2002-2004 cohort responded to the questionnaire. The Training Division analyzed the data and produced a summary document. Such surveys carried out periodically help assess the actual cost of living in relation to the standard scholarship proposed by IDEP to trainees' sponsoring institutions. 

COLLABORATION AND PARTNERSHIPS

Africa

Expert Group Meeting on Africa's External Debt

The Office of the President of the Republic of Senegal and the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) jointly organized an Expert Group meeting on Africa's External Debt on 17 and 18 November 2003 at Hotel Meridien President. The meeting brought together about 70 experts from all over the world, including the African Union, the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), various United Nations organizations, country authorities, the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, the Paris Club and NGOs. IDEP provided technical and logistical support, and the Director presented a paper at the meeting. Some members of staff and trainees of the Institute participated in the plenary sessions. At the end of the experts' meeting, some recommendations were proposed by participants.

A key recommendation of the meeting was that achieving Africa's development goals should be realized without running into future debt problems. This requires a prudent strategy for future borrowing tailored to country specific circumstances, taking into account the quality of its institutions, and its vulnerability to shocks. The experts urged that resource transfers beyond countries' sustainable debt-servicing capacities should be in the form of grants, not debt flows that could lead to future debt problems. The meeting emphasized that a lasting solution to Africa's external debt problem will require good economic governance and management on the part of African countries. In that respect the experts commended the efforts of NEPAD and its African Peer Review Mechanism to encourage each African country to enhance and consolidate progress in that regard.


IDEP Director Visits COMESA Secretariat

Over the past few months, IDEP and the COMESA Secretariat have jointly developed a programme of technical assistance under which IDEP will organize a series of training workshops on macro-economic modeling for staff of governments of COMESA member States and of the Secretariat itself. The programme is expected to start in the near future. Furthermore, COMESA and IDEP signed a Memorandum of Understanding in September 2003 to extend their programme of collaboration over several years. The purpose of the Director's mission on 23 and 24 October 2003 was to prepare a programme of activities that will concretize the MOU and facilitate IDEP's activities in the coming years.

His meetings with the management of COMESA highlighted the close collaboration in the field between IDEP and ECA's sub-regional offices and underscored the involvement of ECA's offices in Lusaka and Kigali, although the latter was not represented at these meetings. It was agreed that both offices should play an active role in the delivery of the programme.

Following the two days of consultations at COMESA Secretariat, the Director prepared a draft document entitled "Medium-Term Programme of Collaboration between COMESA and IDEP/ECA". Containing a detailed list of the activities identified by COMESA as priorities and for which IDEP can provide assistance, the document was discussed with the officials of the ECA Office in Southern Africa (ECA-OSA), in Lusaka and sent to COMESA for approval. 

Visit to the Zambian Ministry of Finance

While in Zambia, the Director visited the Zambian Ministry of Finance, accompanied by the Acting Director of the ECA Office in Southern Africa (ECA-OSA). He met with the Zambian Deputy Minister of Finance and the Senior Economist, Multilateral Unit. Presenting the Institute's training programme and activities, he urged the Zambian officials to invest in IDEP as the Institute belongs to African countries.

The Deputy Minister informed the Director that he was familiar with IDEP and promised to respond to the request for Zambia's payment of its contributions. He also indicated that, after years of neglect, the government of Zambia now values planning and may need assistance from IDEP in this regard. To illustrate, he pointed to the multiplicity of donor funds aimed at supporting an equally large number of programmes that need to be coordinated and harmonized. 

Collaboration with ECA Office in Southern Africa

A meeting was held in the Lusaka office of ECA to discuss the contribution of IDEP in the delivery of ECA's work programme in Southern Africa. IDEP's involvement will form part of its responsibilities under Sub-programme 9 of ECA for which it is responsible. It will have four main components: First, IDEP will prepare a manuscript addressing issues of economic growth for Eastern and Southern African countries that will be presented at the Southern Africa Development Forum in 2005. The manuscript will be part of the research output of IDEP's Growth Project; Second, IDEP will participate in the peer review of papers prepared by staff and consultants of ECA-OSA during the biennium 2004-2005. Third, in collaboration with ECA-OSA, IDEP will organize its short course entitled "Capital Budgeting for Infrastructure", with a special emphasis on energy and mining, two sectors that are crucial for the economies of the subregion. Case studies for these two sectors will be prepared for the course. Fourth, IDEP will continue to participate in ECA-OSA's annual meeting of Inter-Governmental Committee of Experts in order to be more familiar with the development challenges of the subregion and exchange views with the policymakers of Southern Africa.

Visit to the Republic of South Africa

From 1 to 8 December 2003, the Director travelled to the Republic of South Africa where he met with officials from the government and institutions as indicated.

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Pretoria

At its last meeting held on 21 and 22 September 2003, the Governing Council of IDEP had insisted on the need to enhance the visibility of the Institute and make member States aware of its activities. In the case of South Africa, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs coordinates the country's international cooperation and recommends the payment of contributions for international institutions and organizations. Therefore, the purpose of the visit was to introduce IDEP to the Ministry and seek ways to increase the degree of involvement of the Government of South Africa through payment of its annual contributions and appointment of a representative on IDEP's Governing Council, and to discuss the selection of the Southern 
Africa subregional representative on IDEP's Executive Committee. The other country serving on IDEP's Governing Council for Southern Africa is Angola.

It should be noted that the Foreign Affairs staff are quite familiar with IDEP since the ECA's meeting of the Conference of Ministers of Finance, Planning and Economic Development was held in Johannesburg in October 2002. The Director briefed the Ministry officials on recent developments at IDEP, whereupon he was informed that the Government of South Africa considered collaboration with the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) and IDEP of paramount importance, and that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs had already indicated to the Ministry of Finance its approval for the payment, by South Africa, of its contribution to IDEP. 

It was suggested that IDEP could send a letter to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to draw their attention to the fact that South Africa is expected to:

- Appoint a representative on the Governing Council of IDEP and ensure attendance at IDEP meetings;
- Consult with Angola to designate the country that will serve on the Executive Committee of IDEP;
- Pay its contribution to IDEP as a way of reinforcing African ownership of the Institute by African countries;
- Give input in the planning of IDEP's training activities by suggesting short courses that could be delivered on behalf of SADC countries; and 
- Play a leading role in the conduct of continent-wide research activities through the participation of its universities and research centers.

Ministry of Finance, Pretoria

The meeting at the Ministry of Finance followed discussions that the Director had with the Ministry officials in June 2003 in Addis Ababa and in November 2003 in Dakar. The officials were quite familiar with IDEP's mandate and the issues that motivated the mission.

They reiterated the interest of South Africa in IDEP and her desire to play a meaningful role. They asked IDEP to expect a letter from the Ministry in early 2004, indicating South Africa's position regarding its appointment on the Governing Council of IDEP. They also urged IDEP to interact and exchange more intensely with South Africa in order to arouse further interest and demonstrate its value-added. 

The Director was also informed that South Africa is preparing a policy document regarding its contribution to capacity building in Africa, and that the Minister hopes to deliver African positions as a representative of the continent at IMF and Word Bank meetings in the future. 

School of Economics, University of the Witwatersrand (Wits), Johannesburg

At the University of the Witwatersrand, the Director met with the Head of the School of Economics. After an initial discussion of the strategic direction of his School and the shortage of staff that he may be facing in the near future, which could affect collaboration of Wits with IDEP, it was agreed to formalize the proposed collaboration between the two institutions in the form of an MOU. The three main areas of collaboration will be the following:

- Wits staff will serve as lecturers in IDEP's short courses and M.A. programme;
- Wits staff will also participate in IDEP's research programmes;
- IDEP will host Wits staff during the summer of the Southern Hemisphere and allow them to pursue their academic activities jointly with IDEP staff.

It was further agreed that IDEP would draft the MOU and send it for review before it is finalized.


NEPAD Secretariat, Midrand

The Director's visit to the NEPAD Secretariat had two main objectives: first to introduce IDEP to the Secretariat and explore opportunities for collaboration in view of the complementarily of the mandates of the two institutions; and second to seek ways in which the
Secretariat could work jointly on the economic modeling of NEPAD that is currently being developed by IDEP at the request of the President of Senegal.

After a detailed briefing on IDEP, the Secretariat expressed strong interest in forging collaboration between IDEP and NEPAD. It was proposed that IDEP provides training to NEPAD Secretariat staff in Regional Integration and quantitative analysis. At the request of the Secretariat, a programme of multi-year collaboration will be prepared by IDEP indicating the courses, research projects and other activities that the two institutions will undertake jointly. In this respect, IDEP could serve as an implementing agent for the NEPAD Secretariat. It was agreed that the Secretariat will send a letter confirming the proposals and requesting participation of its staff in the course on Regional Integration scheduled for January 2004.

University of Cape Town (UCT)

The visit to UCT involved two separate meetings. The first one was with the Deputy Director of the Development Policy Research Unit (DPRU) and another one with the rest of the staff of the School of Economics. DPRU is a Partner Institution of SISERA and is recognized as one of the best research centers in Africa, especially in the area of labour markets. After the presentation of a detailed briefing on IDEP, DPRU expressed interest in establishing collaborative ties with the Institute. The areas identified for possible collaboration included the use of DPRU staff as resource persons for IDEP's short courses and M.A. programme, joint research activities in the area of labour markets under IDEP's Growth Project, and possible design of a database on labour market statistics to be used in African countries. As a follow-up, it was agreed that IDEP will send a letter summarizing the jointly identified areas of possible collaboration.

The second meeting was held with the staff of the School of Economics with whom the Director has had a long working experience. In addition to the work that could be done between IDEP and DPRU, the Director was informed that the School has developed a training programme on WTO negotiations in collaboration with the Trade Law Center, based in Stellenbosch. It was proposed that the follow-up letter from IDEP be expanded to include collaboration on two specific short courses: Labour Markets and WTO, which feature in IDEP's training programme.

It should be copied to the Ministries of Finance and of Foreign Affairs of South Africa, in response to their request to be constantly informed about the Institute's activities in order to better assess its value-added for South Africa.

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Rest of the World

Europe

From 12 to 18 October 2003, the Director travelled to The Hague (The Netherlands) and to Brussels (Belgium) where he participated in various functions, meetings and workshops. These are indicated in detail as follows: 

Workshop on Poverty and Social Impact Analysis (PSIA)

PSIA is an initiative aimed at ensuring that the poverty reduction strategies currently being implemented by the Breton Woods institutions have positive impacts on vulnerable groups in the developing countries, especially the poor. The PSIA programmes are undertaken by several African countries including Ghana, Uganda, Rwanda, Malawi and Mozambique. Although these programmes are in full activity, their conceptual and operational frameworks are not well developed. One of the main objectives of the Workshop was to create a forum for in-depth discussion of PSIA.

Approximately sixty participants attended the Workshop. They included staff of DFID and the Government of the Netherlands, officials of the World Bank, the IMF, several developing countries (Ghana, Rwanda, Uganda, Pakistan, Viet Nam, Malawi, etc.) and a number of bilateral donors. In addition to representatives of a number of NGOs, the Director was one of three academics invited to participate in the Workshop. The two-day event focused on plenary and group sessions on key conceptual and operational issues pertaining to PSIA. The respective roles of the Breton Woods institutions and of bilateral donors were also discussed at length. 

From the two-day deliberations, it appeared that the PSIA instrument was not fully mastered and may not yield all the results that are expected of it, although it springs from a worthy cause. Key problems that were left unresolved related to the exact role to be played by the Breton Woods institutions, the level of commitment of bilateral donors and the manner in which ownership by recipient countries should be demonstrated, not only in leading the PSIA exercise, but also by fully incorporating it in the poverty reduction strategies.
It was agreed that the Workshop is one of a series to be conducted in the future and that more answers were expected from forthcoming meetings.


Meeting at the European Commission 

The visit at the EU was a follow-up to discussions started almost a year ago regarding the Trade.Com initiative of the European Commission entitled "All ACP Institutional Capacity Building Facility." The initiative has a support budget of 50 million Euros of which 16.9 million is earmarked for the Commonwealth Secretariat and the Agence Internationale de la Francophonie (AIF). The EU officials indicated that there has been some delay in the announcement of the call for expressions of interest from potential bidders and updated information will be provided at a meeting to be organized at the EU. A meeting with all potential bidders could be organized for further clarification of issues related to the grant or the selection process. IDEP expressed its interest in bidding for the management of the grant.

Furthermore, the EU officials indicated that the Commission has received from a number of African countries several requests for support regarding capacity building on WTO issues. They were interested in finding an African institution that could assist in the delivery of the requested training. The Director suggested that IDEP could be considered for the assignment and it was agreed that the discussion would be pursued in the coming days.


European Union Project Management Unit (PMU) for WTO

As reported in the previous issues of the Newsletter, the Director's meeting at the EU/PMU was a follow-up on discussions held previously regarding a programme of training for trainers that the PMU plans to support in Africa on issues pertaining to the WTO. At the meeting, the PMU officials indicated that the training programme would focus on three main topics, namely: negotiations; application of the WTO agreement; and becoming member of the WTO. 

The discussion that followed centered on the eligibility of IDEP as a potential provider of the training services considering that it is a U.N. agency; the cost of the training programme that IDEP had submitted; and the possible modalities for collaboration between IDEP and the EU/PMU.

European Union Project Management Unit (PMU) for Economic Partnership Arrangements (EPA)

During his previous visits to the EU Secretariat, the Director had met with officials of the EU/PMU/EPA several times over the last few months in a joint effort aimed at exploring opportunities for collaboration. In the discussions during the current visit, it was agreed that one possibility of collaboration would be to jointly organize and fund training activities on behalf of African negotiators affiliated with ECOWAS and CEMAC. Considering that it is not certain if members of the secretariats of ECOWAS and CEMAC or officials of the national governments would conduct the negotiations with the European Union, it was further agreed to consider the following training format. 

First, a large group of participants of national officials and secretariat staff would be trained on generic negotiations. Then, once the negotiating teams are identified, more specific training would be given to them on practical issues. The courses would target participants at the Director of Trade level and have a duration of 8 contact days. The training would be organized at IDEP. 

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Latin America

IDEP Director at the Fifth Global Forum on Reinventing Government, Mexico City, 3-6 November 2003

At the invitation of UNPAN, the IDEP Director participated in the 5th Global Forum on Reinventing Government, 3-4 November 2003, Mexico City, organized by the Government of Mexico with the support of the United Nations Economic and Social Affairs Division (UNDESA). 
The Global Forum focused on Innovation and Quality in the Government of the 21st Century, and was organized in Plenary Sessions on themes covering World Trends in Government Innovation and Quality as well as Good Government Strategies for the 21st Century, which included: Government that Costs Less; Quality Government; Professional Government; Digital Government; Regulatory Reform in Government; Honest and Transparent Government. The Global Forum was attended by about 10,000 participants and more than 50 high level resource persons who presented papers, case studies and good practices and discussed the main challenges of Public Administration in the new era. 
The Forum saw the adoption of the Mexico Declaration and the Report of the 4th Global Forum on Reinventing Government (Marrakech, Morocco, 10-13 December 2002).


Director attends the Fifth Interregional Consultative Meeting of UNPAN

On 7 November the 5th UNPAN Interregional Consultative Meeting took place in Mexico City. The meeting, organized by UNDESA, was attended by high-level representatives of UNDESA, including Mr Guido Bertucci (Director DPADM-UNDESA), Ms Haiyan Qian (Chief UNPAN and INU-OD-DPADM-UNDESA) and Mr John Mary Kauzya (Chief GPAB-DPADM-UNDESA), and Heads of the UNPAN Members: ARADO, CAFRAD, CAIMED, CPSI, EROPA, ICIEPA, IDEP, IPAC, NISPAcee, OFPA, RCOCI, UNCRD, UNTC. 
Presentations of the main results of UNPAN activities and the strategic plan for its further development at subregional and national levels were made by the UNPAN Secretariat and participating members. The meeting further discussed operational modalities of collaboration and implementation. 
For more information please visit: www.unpan.org/5-unpan-meeting

NEWS UPDATE

Staff News

Seminar attended

On 10 December 2003, the Senior Computer Assistant attended a technical seminar on the new "Microsoft Office System" concept which was launched for the first time in Dakar by the software editor. At the end of the seminar, he was presented with a Microsoft Software Assurance that will be necessary for the Institute in having Microsoft support concerning the MS software installed on the new computers

Upgrade of the Computer Room Network

An upgrade of the network architecture has been carried out in the main computer room, involving new network and electrical cabling which have been laid according to international standards and network connections complying with the TIA 568A standard. The old 24-port hub has been replaced by a Cisco switch. 
The upgrade has enabled users of the 20 -workstation LAN, which is dedicated for IDEP trainees, to take advantage of the 100Mb per second connection speed. It has also made it possible for the workstations to have their own domain controlled by a dedicated server running under Microsoft Windows 2000. It also provides a more secure access to the Internet with trainees having their personal e-mail accounts.

Intranet website released

An Intranet website has been operational in the Institute since October 2003 and offers value added information tools and resources such as databases, files, reports, forms, and memorandum and training materials. With these additional communication channels and easy-to- use web interfaces, the Institute is continuously making great strides towards sharing internal information for training, research and management purposes.


Global use of the IDEP Website

The number of visitors to the web page continues to increase exponentially, with hits coming from all over the world. 
Please see chart below for details.

New Books Received

Following the orders made in the second quarter of the year, about 300 new books have now been received, processed and added to the library stacks. The electronic catalogue too has been updated. It is envisaged that more library materials will be ordered on a continuous basis.

CD-ROM Catalogue being circulated

One of the overall objectives of the IDEP Library is to ensure timely access to economics data, whatever their sources. An indispensable source of these data and information is to be found in the form of CD-ROM-based Libraries and databases. Since the year 2000, the Library has acquired and continues to collect this form of materials for the benefit of the IDEP community.

The CD-ROM Catalogue contains the cumulative collection housed in the library, which is available for consultation by registered library users. The listed CDs can only be read using the computers in the Library reading room. They are treated as reference materials and may not be borrowed. 

However, faculty Heads may sign out CDs for use in the classrooms. For further information on the rules governing the use of these materials, please refer to the Library Policies and Procedures document. The current issue of the catalogue contains entries of databases received from October though December 2003.


Collaboration between UNAFRI and IDEP

In October 2003, Mr. John Ssai Sembuya, the Administrative/Finance Officer of the United Nations African Institute for Crime Prevention and the Treatment of Offenders (UNAFRI) came to IDEP to undergo on-the-job-training in Finance and Administration. During his five-day stay at IDEP, Mr. Sembuya was briefed on the application of the UN Administrative and Financial Rules, particularly in the following areas:-

* Budget and Finance ;
* Personnel ;
* General Services.

From the feedback received from Mr. Sembuya, the training he had at IDEP was very helpful and UNAFRI will benefit from it. 

PowerPoint Training

Eight staff members of IDEP received training in PowerPoint from 27 to 31 October 2003.


Acquisition of equipment


The office desks and chairs as well as the interpretation equipment ordered through IAPSO were received in December 2003. All General Service staff members were given new office chairs and desks.


Basic security in the field

In line with the proposal made by the United Nations Secretary General to enhance the safety and security of staff and adopted by the General Assembly, all IDEP Staff Members have successfully completed the "Basic Security in the Field - Staff Safety, Health, and Welfare" course, and have obtained their Diplomas.


Feedback from Newsletter Readers

Dear All,
I have recently discovered the IDEP e-Newsletter. I am glad to inform you I am very impressed and very happy for the move the Institute has made. There is no doubt that a useful channel of communication is born as said by the Director in the first issue of January-March 2003. All the IDEP alumni will be able now to follow the activities of their beloved institute.
I would like to congratulate the Director and all the staff of IDEP for implementing this medium.
Best wishes, 

Alioune TOURE, Former IDEP student 
International Centre of Insect Physiology & Ecology (ICIPE)
P.O. Box: 30772, Nairobi, KENYA
E-mail address: atoure@icipe.org / tourevsn@yahoo.fr 
16 December 2003.

© January 2004, 

United Nations African Institute for Economic Development and Planning – IDEP 

BP 3186, Dakar (Senegal) Tel: (221) 823-1020, Fax: (221) 822-2964  

Email: idep@unidep.org  Internet: http://www.unidep.org