Arab Fund for Technical Assistance to African Countries
About
The Seventh Arab Summit Conference convened in Rabat in 1974, acknowledging the paramount importance of Arab-African cooperation. As a manifestation of the principle of Arab-African solidarity and the shared destiny of Arabs and Africans, the conference established the Arab Fund for Technical Assistance to African Countries, with a capital of $25 million. In April 1975, the League council elected the inaugural board of directors for the fund, which held its first meeting in Cairo from 5-7 August of the same year. The fund launched its activities in late 1976.
The Arab Fund for Technical Assistance to African Countries is one of the organs of the General Secretariat of the League of Arab States, possessing legal personality within the limits necessary to achieve its objectives. Its primary aim is to provide technical assistance and cover expenses in the fields of human, economic, and scientific development for African countries. The fund does not offer direct cash or in-kind loans or grants, but rather focuses on providing technical support.
First: Organisational Structure
The Arab Fund for Technical Assistance to African Countries is composed of a board of directors and an executive secretariat.
The Board of Directors is chaired by the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States and consists of eight members elected by the League Council for a three-year term renewable upon nomination by the Arab member states of the League. Additionally, the Directors General of the Arab Organisation for Education, Culture, and Science and the Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa serve as ex-officio members.
The Board of Directors is responsible for developing action plans and the necessary rules for their implementation, examining and approving requests for technical assistance submitted by concerned countries, and approving the draft annual budget and final accounts before presenting them to the League Council. The Board also determines the fund's reserve ratio, proposes financial and administrative regulations required by the special nature of the fund's work before presenting them to the League Council, and submits an annual report on the fund's activities to the League Council. The Board may delegate some of its competencies between its sessions to the Secretary-General.
The fund's Board of Directors convenes annually in two regular sessions, unless the Board decides otherwise.
Second: Executive Secretariat of the Fund
The Executive Secretariat of the Fund is made up of a general manager and three departments:
Research and Studies Department
Operations Department
Financial and Administrative Affairs Department
The Executive Secretariat of the Arab Fund for Technical Assistance to African Countries is responsible for preparing the fund's projects, plans, and programmes and taking the necessary measures to implement them upon approval by the Board of Directors. The Executive Secretariat also contacts specialised African and Arab countries and organisations, international bodies, and others on matters related to the fund's work.
The Executive Secretariat prepares the draft annual budget before submitting it to the Board of Directors and conducts studies and research related to requests for technical assistance submitted by requesting countries. It also takes the necessary procedures for concluding agreements with countries requesting assistance.
In addition, the Executive Secretariat carries out technical and administrative secretarial work for the meetings of the Board of Directors and committees.
Third: Fund regulations
The Arab Fund for Technical Assistance to African Countries focuses on providing technical assistance in the field of manpower development. This includes sending Arab experts in various disciplines and providing scholarships and training in Arab institutes and universities.
When dispatching experts to African countries, the fund covers the following expenses:
A) A suitable monthly salary in US dollars.
B) Travel expenses for the expert and their family (up to a maximum of a wife and two children in economy class for round trips).
The country receiving the technical assistance is responsible for providing the following to the experts:
A) Free, furnished housing suitable for the expert and their family.
B) Covering the expenses of internal transportation for work.
C) Providing complete medical care for the expert and their family.
D) Exempting the expert's salary from taxes.
E) Allowing the expert to transfer their savings abroad in US dollars.
2- Offering grants:
The Fund bears the following expenses for the student:
Travel expenses back and forth for the student from his home country to the Arab country, the place of study or training, and back at the end of it.
Study or training fees.
Adequate pocket money in addition to an annual amount for books.
3- Applying for technical assistance to the fund:
The fund receives requests for technical assistance from African governments, and the executive secretariat studies them after completing all the required detailed data according to the forms prepared for that.
The Executive Secretariat presents the request for technical assistance to the Fund's Board of Directors to take the appropriate decision.
After the Board of Directors approves the request for technical assistance, the executive secretariat takes implementation measures and concludes a technical cooperation agreement with the beneficiary country that clarifies the technical assistance, the Fund's obligations, and the commitments of the beneficiary country.
The Arab Fund for Technical Assistance to African Countries has achieved remarkable success through the provision of effective technical assistance. The active role played by Arab experts in their interactions with the African community has earned them respect and trust among officials, and their tangible contributions have significantly contributed to the development of African countries.
Upon reviewing the attached statistics and data, it becomes evident that:
1- The fund's activities during the previous period, aligned with the priorities set by its board of directors, have been highly significant, with human resources development being the top priority in the applications received by the fund. Dispatched experts included doctors in various specialties, teachers, university professors, marine pilots, engineers in various fields, irrigation, agricultural and planning experts, postal experts, computer technicians, social and rural development experts, radio and television professionals, judiciary experts, and scholars in diverse fields.
2- In the field of training courses, the fund has made significant contributions by conducting numerous training programmes in various fields, including statistics, civil aviation, agriculture, mining, oil, energy, water, tourism, hotel management, combating desertification, and drought.
3- The fund was able, despite its limited financial capabilities, to provide technical assistance to more than 40 African and Arab countries. The number of experts it has dispatched since its inception has reached 4,188 experts in various disciplines. It has also provided 2,533 scholarships and trainings in various fields.
The Arab Fund for Technical Assistance to African Countries aims to foster cohesion and interdependence between the Arab and African peoples, making the process of technical cooperation a crucial requirement for both. As development efforts intensify, the importance of the fund becomes more significant, necessitating increased activity.
