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The African Development Bank (AfDB) has launched an interactive online tool which will provide updates on various projects that it is implementing across the continent. MapAfrica is an online portal which was developed in partnership with information agency Development Gateway. It currently covers 800 of AfDB projects and how they relate to what the bank describes as its “High 5” development priorities, namely energy, industrialisation, integration, food and quality of life.
Web users can now track the bank’s projects throughout Africa, zooming in on a region or country and browsing the icons corresponding to the “High 5” priorities. In a statement, AfDB Quality Control and Results Department director Simon Mizrahi said the portal was important for the promotion of transparency in the financial institution.
“This dynamic tool enables the bank to provide transparent and equal access to its work across Africa. “It is an effort to showcase our results and to track our projects on the ground,” he said.
Development Gateway chief executive officer Jean-Louis Sarbib said the Map Africa should also be seen as a financial tracking tool. “MapAfrica allows the AfDB to present its investments and results in a simple and more intuitive way, bringing the institution closer to the people they serve,” he said.
The AfDB receives billions of dollars in donor funds annually for development purposes but tracking the results has been challenging without information on individual development aid activities.
The online tool would provide “results stories” which present detailed accounts of some completed projects as well as provide details about the beneficiaries of the project, the approach taken and lessons learned. — New Ziana.
Online Reporter