Addis Ababa, 11 May 2025 (ECA) - The Strategic Planning, Oversight, and Results Division (SPORD) held a three-day retreat from May 5 to 7, 2025, at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Addis Ababa, under the theme “Strategic Reflection and Future Positioning - Strengthening SPORD’s Role in Shaping ECA’s Agenda.”
The Director, Mr. Said Adejumobi, in his opening remarks, noted that the rapidly changing global and regional environment required SPORD's strategic reflections and ECA's repositioning for enhanced performance. He emphasised the problem of decreasing resources for the UN and development aid for member states, calling for thorough consideration on how to better assist these states in fostering inward-focused and self-sustaining regional development.
The retreat featured various activities, including team-building exercises, focusing on collaboration, communication, and future direction. It also covered UN 2.0 initiatives, UN80, global dynamics, and social welfare issues, culminating in action plans for subsequent implementation.
The team, among others, discussed the effects of global economic and political changes on the ECA’s mandate and the innovative strategies needed by SPORD to support the commission's objectives for the region.
The team also discussed the progress reviews and strategic reflections of each of the five sections of the division.
Ms. Daya Bragante, the Chief of the Corporate Policy and Planning Section (CPPS), began the presentations by emphasising the sector's role in supporting the ECA through strategic planning, developing program guidelines, integrating cross-cutting issues, and fostering knowledge sharing and accountability.
Josephine Marealle-Ulimwengu. Chief, System-Wide Coherence and Quality Assurance Section focused on the sector's effort to improve ECA's internal consistency and collaboration with UN entities, the African Union, and AUDA-NEPAD via the Africa Regional Collaborative Platform.
Ms. Josephine, also represented the Quality Assurance, Risk Management, and Compliance Section focused on quality assurance frameworks for publications and outputs, the identification and mitigation of operational risks, and the issue of compliance with UN and ECA regulations.
Ms. Adebukola Bolaji presented the MMRES section, emphasising its efforts to improve reporting and evaluation via regular partner meetings that establish timelines and identify needs. It includes semi-annual consultations to address delays, enhance knowledge management, foster collaboration, and implement follow-up mechanisms. A Community of Practice for Program Managers is being formed to enhance efficiency, collaboration, and reporting quality.
The Director's office, represented by Ms. Sofia Moges, highlighted staff members' dependability and quality work. She focused on the support provided by the Director’s office in areas of staff recruitment, document processing, creation of online platforms for use by the division and the entire ECA, management of the ECA fellowship programme, and other major activities.
Mr. Said also delivered a presentation titled "The World We Live In," highlighting global and regional trends that impact the Commission's work. He emphasised challenges such as geopolitical tensions, economic nationalism, declining development aid, and dwindling UN resources. However, he also noted opportunities for Africa to drive its own growth through regional economic integration, free movement of goods and services, and investments in social welfare, education, health, and infrastructure. By taking advantage of these opportunities, Africa can promote self-sustaining development and advancement, he concluded.
The participants recognised that effective communication and collaboration are crucial within SPORD. The team acknowledged the regular meetings, newsletters, and the "Meet the Director Café" programme. Staff were encouraged to take advantage of it, as some staff have already done.
Some divisions, including the Office of the Executive Secretary (OES), GPSPD, CFND, SRO-WA, and HR, were invited to engage with SPORD to discuss their working relationships and identify areas for improvement. The Chief of Staff, Mr. Aboubakar Diaw, representing OES and GPSPD, acknowledged SPORD's valuable contributions and strategic work, emphasising the need to further strengthen their collaboration. Meanwhile, representatives from GPSPD and SRO-WA praised SPORD's support, suggesting that standardising reporting templates and sharing them earlier in the year would enhance coordination and planning across sub-programmes.
Participants’ recommendations based on the presentations included:
- SPORD serves as a foresight centre, providing strategic insights on emerging risks and opportunities.
- Encourage adaptive planning with flexible strategic frameworks to address global volatility.
- Continue to reflect on global and regional trends that could affect the work of the Commission and our support to member-states and provide strategic advice to the Commission on that basis.
- Enhance internal coherence in the Commission and consolidate the AU-UN strategic relationship.
Director Said, in his closing remarks of the three-day event, noted that significant progress has been made since the last retreat in 2024. These include enhanced trust and collaboration, improved teamwork, and the implementation of the recommendations and action points from the 2024 Retreat. He thanked all staff for their dedication and commitment and underscored the continued need for this effort.
He concluded that the Division would continue to be relevant and uphold its reputation as a strategic entity of the commission by consistently assessing global and regional trends to provide innovative and cutting-edge advice to facilitate the commission's commitments to the continent.
Issued by:
Communications Section
Economic Commission for Africa
PO Box 3001
Addis Ababa
Ethiopia
Tel: +251 11 551 5826
E-mail: eca-info@un.org