Governance

AFD promotes an inclusive vision of political processes. This means fostering transparency and working with citizens to develop public policies. Integrating new technologies into these processes can be very helpful in achieving these goals. Through the project to support open Francophone governments (PAGOF), Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Tunisia recently made concrete commitments to a more open model of governance.
We encourage the development of civic spirit and help people become full stakeholders in democracy.

In Haiti, we have partnered with CCFD-Terre Solidaire to increase citizen participation: community spaces for dialog called “Makòn” allows residents to help shape public policies.

Social innovations that promote a democratic revival are also encouraged, via support for independent media and funding for awareness-raising campaigns. In Senegal, for example, we fund Bruits de tambours, a television series that teaches viewers about civic participation and inclusiveness.

We also support legal and prison systems to ensure that human rights are guaranteed by governments and that people have access to justice, and to improve prison conditions. In Côte d’Ivoire and Niger, for example, we finance programs that aim to build capacity within the justice system and educate citizens about their rights.

Many countries are dealing with social or economic situations that undermine the management of public services and threaten their development. Effective management of public finances and resources is essential to maintaining basic services at all times and continue to improve living conditions for citizens. This requires transparency, administrative modernization, and decentralization, among other things.

AFD supports its partner administrations in improving the management of their public finances. In the Comoros, we are helping local authorities develop professionalism in their financial services in order to provide citizens with better basic services.

We are also helping institutions improve their management of development projects in every field. In Cameroon, since 2015, despite the security and economic crisis, the government has committed to maintaining public spending, in sectors including education and healthcare, as part of the Debt Reduction-Development Contract (C2D).

We are also helping to build capacity so that national institutions can master the processes and carry on independently. In the Central African Republic, for example, the Zingo project aims to improve institutions’ ability to supervise development projects funded by international backers.

Nearly $450 billion was transferred by diasporas to their countries of origin in 2017, according to the World Bank. That figure is triple the flow of official development assistance. Through these monetary transfers and the creation of economic activities, diasporas provide a major source of investment in their countries of origin. They also represent a substantial development opportunity and offer stable support to countries.

AFD works with diaspora associations and local governments in France and Europe to capitalize on the contributions made by communities of immigrants. It provides funding for new businesses, innovative activities, and platforms that facilitate international transfers. For example, we are helping capitalize on the Cameroonian diaspora (approximately 100,000 people in France) by supporting its key economic role in Cameroon’s development.

In countries with high emigration rates, we support public policies on migration and transit to transform this movement into real development opportunities for countries. At the same time, we also work to improve certain factors in emigration, such as access to employment. In Tunisia, for example, we are supporting a local development project that addresses regional migration goals.