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Rethinking the Role of National Development Banks in Africa: Conclusions and Recommendations

This document provides an overview of the multi-stakeholder consultations on financing for development, specifically focusing on the role of national development banks in Africa. It includes general conclusions, policy recommendations, and action-oriented proposals, covering topics such as evolution of development banking, financing development and supporting regional economic integration, role of NDBs in sustainable development, financial sustainability, support for SMEs and microfinance, mobilization of resources, enhancing NDBs delivery for development, and corporate governance and regulation.

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Rethinking the Role of National Development Banks in Africa: Conclusions and Recommendations

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  1. Multi-stakeholder Consultations on Financing for Development: “Rethinking the Role of National Development Banks in Africa” (Johannesburg, South Africa, 22-23 November 2006) “General Conclusions, Policy Recommendations and Action-oriented Proposals”

  2. Overview The meeting addressed: • Evolution of development banking • Financing development and supporting regional economic integration • Role of NDBs in sustainable development • Financial Sustainability • Support for SMEs & Microfinance • Mobilization of resources • Enhancing NDBs delivery for development • Corporate governance and regulation The main discussion points included: • Privatization of DFIs vs. development priorities • Role of DFIs in financing regional infrastructure • Participation of key stakeholders in DFI capital • PPPs and tariff issues for basic services to the poor • DFI fit in public policy • Need for strengthening corporate governance • Outcome and next steps Overall, the meeting highlighted that NDBs/DFIs have a critical role to play in economic and social development in Africa. National priorities, market environment and client needs tend to evolve over time. NDBs/DFIs need to continually adapt and adjust if they are to respond to changing needs and developmental imperatives.

  3. General Conclusions and Policy Recommendations Action-oriented Proposals General Conclusions and Policy Recommendations

  4. Evolution of development banking It was concluded that: • NDBs/DFIs play an important role in economic and social development in Africa • Different models of NDBs exist and prove to be viable • DFIs’ raison d’être is to address market failures in development processes and fill development gaps • Institutional failures & path dependency in society and the economy are both important shapers of certain DFI challenges and of their operating environment • A key challenge for NDBs is mobilizing resources for development • NDBs are well placed to influence policy-making as they occupy a position between government and the private sector It was proposed to: • Encourage the credit rating of NDBs/DFIs (AADFI, SADC) • Enhance cooperation among DFIs, including capacity-building (various) • Share information and best practices (AADFI, SADC)

  5. Financing development and supporting regional economic integration It was concluded that: • NDBs/DFIs can make an important contribution to advancing regional integration • The financial sector and infrastructure (including telecommunications) are key enablers and facilitators of regional integration, growth and development in Africa • A key challenge is to attract and draw the private sector into participating in large-scale projects It was proposed to: • Share information among various stakeholders in development finance (various participants) • Foster involvement of the private sector in financing large-scale infrastructure projects, in particular through PPPs (DBSA) • Enhance interaction and coordination between development finance role-players on key programmes such as Spatial Development Initiatives (Zimconsult)

  6. Sustainable development It was concluded that: • NDBs/DFIs have a core functional role in sustainable development in the provision of development finance, knowledge and advocacy. • Case studies in the agriculture sector confirm that in the developmental space multidimensional responses are often needed to overcome market failures • NDBs have an important facilitating, and sometimes catalytic, role to play in employment generation and poverty eradication It was proposed to: • Promote the leadership role of NDBs in sustainable development (CC) • Enhance NDB catalytic role in getting markets to work for development (various participants) • Support integration of global and regionally agreed development goals, (including the MDGs,) into national-level policy frameworks (various)

  7. Financial sustainability It was concluded that: • Securing financial sustainability is a core NDB challenge • NDBs/DFIs can be both financially sustainable and effective in promoting development • Guarantee funds can work for development without necessarily being profitable • Mutual Guarantee Associations (MGAs) can provide an alternative source of financing It was proposed to: • Enhance NDBs’ institutional autonomy, internal governance and professionalism to ensure their financial sustainability (Fincorp, CC)

  8. Support for SMEs & Microfinance It was concluded that: • NDBs can play a catalytic role in closing intermediation gaps in financial sectors • NDBs can be instrumental in promoting and supporting SME development through providing access to finance, information, skills and training • Success stories in SME and microfinance show there need be no trade-off between development impact and profitability It was suggested that NDBs: • Influence governments to promote diversification and deepening of the economy by encouraging beneficiation and downstream value addition (IDC) • Encourage governments to view the microfinance sector as a key development enabler and facilitate its development (DBSA) • Encourage governments to provide an environment which “enables” business (BPI) • Offer support beyond finance to SMEs and focus on developing and supporting entrepreneurship (BPI) • Improve infrastructure for the functioning of markets, in particular in agriculture (SADC, IDC; DBSA)

  9. Mobilization of resources It was concluded that: • Mobilization of financial and other resources for development is a core challenge facing NDBs • Budgetary funding of NDBs has potential for hazard in terms of possible government interference in NDB resources allocation, variable budgetary provisions and credibility issues in advocacy • A role for NDBs as intermediaries between RDBs and SMEs should be recognized and supported • NDBs can crowd in the private sector in development creating win-win situations It was suggested that NDBs: • Clarify their role versus that of commercial banks (EIB, IFC, KfW) • Address governance issues to ensure support from MDBs (EIB) • Enter into alliances with the private sector to share/manage financial risks and ensure working capital, in particular for BEE (COO-ABSA) • Pursue collaboration with MFIs (IFC) • Develop new partnerships with RDBs, including the areas of technical assistance and capacity-building (AfDB)

  10. Enhancing NDBs delivery for development It was concluded that: • Cooperation among DFIs on cross-border and in-country financing of projects is critical if resources are to be pooled, experiences shared, and opportunities for taking investment and equity stakes shared • NDBs/DFIs need to respond in a timely manner to changing priorities in development It was proposed to: • Enhance DFIs’ capacity to deliver for development by making better use of their resource and stakeholder networks. • Accelerate DFI delivery of development by increasing joint financing of projects and by crowding in the private sector (SADC) • Ensure that NDBs focusing of SME’s emphasize the empowerment of entrepreneurs (Commerzbank)

  11. Corporate governance and regulation It was concluded that : • DFIs can drive or support public policy priorities • Good corporate governance is a prerequisite for attracting financial resources • There is a need for reform of the interfaces between NDB’s and ministries, superintending and auditing structures and, financing agencies. • There is a need to scrutinize and improve a number of areas of governance including, appointment of directors, board structures, business processes and practices, and execution of managerial tasks in control, risk and compliance • It was proposed that NDBs/DFIs : • Align their strategies to public policy objectives • Harness private sector participation in financing development projects • Depoliticize their operations • Address risk management and corporate governance challenges • Build specific competencies (strategy development, risk management, human resources)

  12. Action-oriented Proposals Action-oriented Proposals General Conclusions and Policy Recommendations

  13. Action Proposals Organize systematic sharing of information and cooperation among interested NDBs/DFIs through regional associations: • on regional, sub-regional and national development project pipelines; • on best practices; • on governance and management; • on financial guidelines (AfDB, Angola DB, AADFI)

  14. Thank you! www.un.org/esa/ffd

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