Addis Ababa, 7 October 2025: Ethiopia hosted the 34th Annual Board of Governors Meeting of the Africa Capacity Building Foundation (ACBF). The meeting was chaired by H.E. Ahmed Shide, Minister of Finance of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia.

H.E. Ahmed Shide, in his welcoming remarks, highlighted that “a strong and well-financed Africa Capacity Building Foundation is key to accelerating Africa’s transformation. Our collective commitment today will determine the strength of our institutions tomorrow.” He further emphasized the significance of this year’s theme — “From Taxation to Action: Bridging Policy and Implementation in Public Financial Management in Africa” — noting that it reflects Africa’s growing focus on mobilizing domestic resources and translating policy into tangible results.

He also added that, ACBF’s growing partnership with Ethiopia through African Leadership Excellence Academy (AFLEX), helped the nation institutions to design and implement leadership development initiatives for senior and emerging leaders across public, private, and civil society sectors plays a pivotal role to strengthen Ethiopia’s institutional and human capacity.

H.E. Mohamed Beavogui, Chairperson of the ACBF Executive Board, underlined the importance of the meeting, stating that it comes at a crucial time when Africa’s development aspirations continue to expand and the need for stronger capacity building is greater than ever.

The 34th Board Meeting reviewed the Foundation’s annual performance and discussed measures to further strengthen its institutional effectiveness.

The meeting was attended by representatives of member states, regional institutions, and development partners of the Foundation. The board meeting will be followed by the Africa Think Tank Summit which will discuss the theme “From Taxation to Action: Bridging Policy and Implementation in Public Financial Management in Africa” for three days from 8-10 October 2025 in Sheraton Addis Hotel where the Board meeting was held.

The ACBF, established over three decades ago under the auspices of the African Union, serves as the continent’s premier capacity development institution. Its mandate focuses on strengthening institutional capacity, developing human capital, and providing policy advice to advance Africa’s development agenda.