The African Legal Support Facility (ALSF) (www.ALSF.int) has concluded virtual Annual Meetings of its management board and Governing Council during which the institution’s term was extended until 2036.

The extension – for an additional 14 years beyond the original term date of 2022 – was based on the ALSF’s accomplishments, the increasing demand for its unique service and the relevance of its support to regional member countries in addressing the impacts of issues such as Covid-19 and climate change.

The meetings were held virtually from 24-25 May 2021.

The Governance Council is the ALSF’s supreme body and meets once a year. Its 12 members, representing member states and international organizations, review activities of the past year and consider policies and proposals for the continuation of the Facility’s operations and effectiveness. The Council said it was confident that the decision would energize the Facility to continue to provide critical support to regional member countries and to achieve the objectives for its establishment.

The Council also approved several reports, including the 2020 Annual Report and a progress report on project implementation, and internal policies. It was noted that despite the challenges presented by the Covid-19 pandemic, the Facility approved 39 projects in 2020 – mainly in the sovereign debt, power, and extractives sectors. The Facility provided legal and technical support to the Federal Republic of Somalia for negotiations leading to the cancellation of about 58% of the country’s debt from private commercial creditors (https://bit.ly/2TwQgmr).

ALSF’s support for green energy projects, including the legal and technical assistance to the Kingdom of Eswatini in its first competitive procurement process to develop a 40-megawatt solar PV facility (https://bit.ly/3ijARAn), was commended.

The management board and the Council expressed satisfaction with the strong performance of the Facility and acknowledged the ALSF team’s timely, appropriate, and efficient response to the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic across its areas of intervention in regional member countries.

The Council expects the Facility to continue to support the economic recovery and sustainable development efforts of regional member countries, especially in addressing climate change and consolidating support for cross-cutting issues of environmental and social protection, gender equality, and good governance.

The Director and CEO of the Facility, Stephen Karangizi, noted the dedication and accessibility of the Members of the Board and the Council over the years. He thanked them for the confidence displayed in the ALSF team to continue its vital work and reassured them of his team’s commitment to intensify its efforts to realize the objectives of the ALSF.

The ALSF’s management board is responsible for the operations of the Facility, approval of its budget and appointment of its Director. The Board’s current five members are Dr. Gaston Kenfack Douajni (Chairman), Ms. Eva Jhala, Ms. Nimatou Feliho, Ms. Christine Agimba, and Ambassador Arve Ofstad.

The current Governance Council comprises representatives from Morocco, Guinea, Eswatini, Burundi, Tanzania, the African Development Bank, Belgium, France, Netherlands, United Kingdom and Brazil. The College of International Organizations was represented at this meeting by Africa Finance Corporation.