ACCORD participated in an induction and training session to understand the use of the Country Resilience and Fragility Assessment (CFRA) tool developed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) to help address the prevalence of fragility. In light of the continent’s many conflict drivers, this CFRA tool, aims to provide a baseline for applying fragility-sensitive lens across AfDB programming for the systematic mainstreaming of fragility considerations and identification of entry points for building resilience in countries.
Despite the significant progress made over the past decade that lifted millions out of poverty, many factors, including prolonged conflicts, political instability, refugees and humanitarian crises, coupled with gender-based violence, and food insecurity continue to undermine development and keep many African countries in a fragility trap. ACCORD in this context, aims to continuously increase knowledge, policy support and its response to the drivers of conflict, and as such the training provided the opportunity to understand this tool and its capacity to help better design and implement projects and programmes.
The training unpacked the many ways in which the AfDB and regional partners have already integrated the CFRA tool into their work, in order to better understand and plan around fragility drivers. Further to this, a case-study of a fictional region with a certain set of challenges and opportunities allowed participants to use the tool to undertake their own fragility assessment of the area. This study helped all participants understand both drivers of fragility and resilience, and how this understanding can translate into project planning and implementation. Ms Marisha Ramdeen, Senior Programme Officer within ACCORD’s Mediation Unit, and Ms Savannah Wilmot, Programme Officer within ACCORD’s Local and National Capacities for Peace cluster, attended the training that took place virtually from 28 to 30 June 2021.
