ACP PRIVATE SECTOR DEVELOPMENT STRATEGY

The ACP Council of Ministers,

– Meeting in Brussels, (Belgium), from 24th to 25th November 2015,

CONSIDERING the resolution of the 101st session of the ACP Council of Ministers held in Brussels, Belgium on 26, 27 and 29 May 2015, on the orderly closure of the Centre for the Development of Enterprise (CDE) and the setting up of the Light Structure for ACP private sector development support;

CONSIDERING the ACP strategy for private sector development adopted by the ACP Council of Ministers on 12 December 2015 during its 100th session held in Brussels, Belgium [ACP/85/070/14];

RECALLING Decision no. 6/XCIX/14 on the Centre for the Development of Enterprise, adopted by the ACP Council of Ministers during its 99th session in Nairobi, Kenya on 18 June 2014;

RECALLING Decision no. 7/XCIX/14 on the joint ACP-EU Cooperation Framework for private sector development support in ACP countries, adopted by the ACP Council of Ministers during its 99th session held in Nairobi, Kenya on 18 June 2014;

UNDERSCORING the compromise reached between ACP and EU Ministers during the 39th session of the joint Council of Ministers held in Nairobi, in June 2014, on the concurrence of the orderly closure of the CDE and the setting up of a light structure capable of adequately meeting the needs of the ACP private sector, while safeguarding the gains and the best practices of the CDE;

REITERATING the urgency of setting up an ACP-EU platform for private sector development in preparation for the creation of a Light Structure able to adequately meet the needs of the ACP private sector while safeguarding the gains and the best practices of the CDE;

REAFFIRMING the crucial role of the private sector in the economic and social development of ACP States and regions;

HAVING EXAMINED the report of the Committee of Ambassadors on the ACP strategy for the development of the ACP private sector and moving forward the orderly closure of the CDE presented during the 102nd session of the Council of Ministers;

HEREBY DECIDES:

1. To approve the ACP Concept Note on the Light Structure [ACP/85/021/15 Final] as well as the Concept Note on the appointment of Regional Focal Points for ACP private sector support [ACP/85/052/15 Final]; and

2. To instruct the ACP Committee of Ambassadors to engage in negotiations with the European side, as soon as possible, with a view to making all the necessary arrangements for the speedy setting-up of a Light Structure, by including all the stakeholders, in particular, the Regional Integration Organisations and their specialised structures, intermediary private-sector regional and national organisations, and development partners.

Done in Brussels on 25th November 2015