Reverse Linkage

23 DEVELOPMENT THROUGH SOUTH-SOUTH COOPERATION During the period 1975–2016, total BADEA cumulative commitments stood at US$5,095.883 million, out of which US$4,925.17 million was allocated to finance 631 develop- ment projects. Also, US$170.713 million has been allocated to finance 696 technical assistance operations. Out of this, feasibility studies received US$75.767 million (44.38 per cent of the total) while US$94.946 million (55.62 per cent) was allocated for institutional support in African countries to cover the provision of services of Arab experts to trans- mit knowledge and expertise to local cadres. A total of 132 highly qualified Arab experts were approved for work in African countries between 1991 and 2016 to cover advice on infrastructure (37.32 per cent), finance (28.17 per cent), agriculture and rural development (24.65 per cent), social sectors (4.23 per cent), industrial sectors, and energy and other sub sectors (5.63 per cent). In response to the escalating need of African countries for human resource development, BADEA has drastically increased its allocation of training and capacity building, completing 244 training programmes during the period 1975–2016. More than 10,000 African trainees have bene- fited from these courses through enhanced contribution to the implementation of development projects. The keenness of BADEA to restrict capacity building activities to Arab and African training institutions provided yet another testi- mony of its desire to consolidate the SSC rationale. BADEA’s feasibility studies succeeded in facilitating approximately 160 development projects in various sectors including transport, energy, agriculture, water, health and education, where BADEA and other partners contributed in financing those projects. The institutional support given to African countries also included contribution to the organisation of Arab- African trade fairs, in cooperation with the secretariats of the League of Arab States and the African Union. BADEA’s participation included funding the cost of preparing stands for exhibitions and covering expenses of logistics and trans- portation of exhibitors’ displays for African participants. To date, the contribution has included the organisation of the seven Arab-African joint trade fairs leading to the enhance- ment of trade flows between Arab and African countries. Operations also included the provision of office and medical equipment for some African institutions; financing forums for Arab and African consulting firms and for Arab and African businesswomen; organising meetings for chambers of commerce and industry in Africa and the Arab world; meetings for high-level experts in the field of food security; and meetings for Arab and African experts on investment prospects in Africa. To trace the impact of BADEA’s technical assistance in contributing to the national well-being of the recipi- ent African countries through the sharing of knowledge, Rural women empowerment project in Senegal Image: BADEA