Abuja, Nigeria, Feb. 9, 2016 – The Executive Secretary of the African Capacity Building Foundation, Prof. Emmanuel Nnadozie, on Monday began a five-day official visit to Nigeria with an appeal for increased support for African legislatures to enable them further develop democratic culture on the continent.
Nnadozie, who made the appeal at a meeting with the top management of the National Institute for Legislative Studies in Abuja, said the support would help redress the historical imbalance in resource availability to the three arms of government in many African countries.
“The legislature, which is often inadequately resourced, has to contend with a well-resourced and strong executive arm, creating a situation that does not allow for effective oversight of executive actions,” he said at the meeting to review the working relationship between the two bodies.
The Institute, whose main duty is to train legislators and their staff to enable them enhance democratic rule in West Africa, is one of the Nigerian institutions receiving financial and technical support from the Harare-based ACBF.
Since its inception 25 years ago, the Foundation has provided financial support worth more than $26 million to the NILS and other Nigerian beneficiaries. The ACBF was established in 1991 by African governments in their bid to develop indigenous human capabilities for better policy development and economic management of the countries.
In her remarks, the Director General of NILS, Dr. Ladi Hamalai, appealed to the ACBF for further “tailor-made technical skill and capacity enhancement” assistance to enable it succeed in its mandate to further develop the legislative arms of government in Nigeria and in West Africa.
During the five-day-long visit, Prof. Nnadozie is expected to hold discussions with senior government officials, including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on ACBF-Nigeria relations, particularly in its core area of helping to develop capacity.
