Reverse Linkage

76 REVERSE LINKAGE EAPD’s partnerships with NGOs in the health sector are a case in point, there are other successful models of South- South Cooperation in other vital areas. Since its creation, the EAPD has been keen to support, through partnerships, the efforts of African and Islamic countries to achieve the SDGs, and not just SDG 3 related to the promotion of healthy lives. Achieving gender equal- ity and empowering women – SDG 5 – is also very high on the agenda because development cannot be achieved or sustained without the full involvement of women. As such, the EAPD collaborates with the Egyptian National Council for Women to design and deliver training courses tailored to women from the continent on various issues. Programmes such as The Empowerment of African Rural Women through Micro-Credit, and Fighting Terrorism for African Women Judges, have been very successful. Agriculture is another priority area of focus for the EAPD. Egypt is rich in expertise in this field, and SDG 2 – on ending hunger, achieving food security and promot- ing sustainable agriculture – is of crucial importance to the region. The Egyptian International Center for Agriculture has been a trusted and reliable EAPD partner and, through this collaboration, many capacity building programmes have been designed and delivered, including Irrigation Techniques for Water Conservation and Small Scale Fresh Water Management, to name but two. Development and security are closely interlinked. This is why EAPD is collaborating with national partners to support other African countries in implementing SDG 16 related to the promotion of just, peaceful and inclusive socie- ties. Through solid partnerships with the Ministry of Justice, the Administrative Control Authority, the Armed Forces and the Police Academy, many officials from the continent are receiving training programmes on issues such as human trafficking, anti-terrorism measures and humanitarian law. Although the EAPD is a government agency, it is a staunch advocate of the private sector’s role as a vehicle for devel- opment, and supports its efforts to intensify African trade and investment. Partnership models have also been jointly designed, yielding very positive results. The programmes being implemented with the International Business Driving License (IBDL) Foundation in Egypt fall under one of the most successful of these Public–Private Partnerships. For example, 1,000 business scholarships are being offered, focusing on honing the managerial and entrepreneurial skills of young talents from government, companies and start-ups in 20 African countries. The aim is to help shape a generation of young Africans who are able to confront current challenges in preparation for future leadership. A special capacity building programme in Egypt has also been put in place for 100 African diplomats, entitled The Role of Diplomats in the 21st Century. Egyptian experts led the training, and participants left Cairo better equipped to design and implement strategic plans for more effective investment and trade policies in their countries. The organization of the investment forum, Africa 2016, held in Sharm El-Sheikh, February 2016 – the first of its kind to be held in Africa, by Africa and for Africa – was the fruit of yet another successful partnership led by the EAPD and involving various entities from government and the private sector. Inaugurated by the Egyptian presi- dent and attended by leaders from Africa and beyond, the forum witnessed in-depth discussions on how to best utilise Africa’s economic boom to enhance its standing in the global economy and improve the lives of its people. It has now become an annual gathering, a testament to its far reaching impact. The realm of EAPD activities is broad. 2 In addition to the training programmes organized for over 7,000 participants from 42 countries in Africa and the Islamic world and the 65 experts dispatched to transfer knowledge in 21 countries, mainly in Sub-Saharan Africa, the agency also provides emer- gency aid and humanitarian assistance to countries in need. The examples given above focus on some of the success- ful partnerships initiated by the EAPD over the past three years. The hope is to inspire others to reach out to partners at various levels, and from different affiliations, as these experiences have demonstrated that forging South-South Cooperation partnerships is the best way of achieving Development through Sharing. A young Ethiopian doctor sponsored by the EAPD being trained at the hands of an Egyptian surgeon at the Magdy Yacoub Foundation Heart Center in Aswan, Egypt Image: MYF