The President of the Board of CAFRAD, Prof. Amal El Fallah SEGHROUCHNI, and the new Director-General of CAFRAD, Dr. Coffi Dieudonné ASSOUVI, held a one-hour work meeting on Tuesday, December 24, 2024 from 2 p.m. within the Ministry of Digital Transition and Administration Reform.

After the usual pleasantries, the two personalities discussed the preparatory work for the Extraordinary Board Session of announced on July 9, 2024 at the end of the 59th Ordinary Session of the Supreme Body of the Pan-African Intergovernmental Organization.

The Director General’s presentations covered:

• The problems and challenges of CAFARD and African public administrations;
• CAFRAD’s roadmap, vision and activity programs;
• The 2024-2025 draft budget.

At the end of the presentations by the Director General of CAFRAD, interspersed with questions and answers, appreciating the ambition displayed, and taking note of the immensity of the challenges to be taken up by the new Director General, the President of the Board of Directors of CAFRAD formulated very clear recommendations both on the content of the programs and on the sources of financing for CAFRAD’s activities. These include, among others:

• Rebuild another CAFRAD with the countries that really want and desire to be members. This desire must be manifested by the regular payment of financial contributions due to the CAFRAD budget;
• Stabilize and modernize the organizational structure of CAFRAD;
• Carry out activities with high added value for Member States;
• Demonstrate the interest for States in remaining members of CAFRAD;
• Remobilize certain countries like Kenya and all the countries of East Africa;
• Focus activity programs primarily on digitalization, digital transformations, artificial intelligence and ecological/energy transition, which constitute sectors of concern to the world and Africa and determining the future of humanity;
• Sell the CAFRAD brand to firms, companies, schools or training, research and consulting centers…

At the end of the discussion, the President of the Board and the Director General agreed to organize the Extraordinary Session in February. This leaves the month of January 2025 to the Director-General to reflect on the new offensive strategy for the remobilization of Member States around CAFRAD’s activity programs.

The Director-General would like to express to the President of the Board his deep gratitude for her availability, her commitment, her sense of listening and her contributions to improving the CAFRAD roadmap.