International Organizations for Development in Africa
| Date | 01 October 1959 |
| Published date | 01 October 1959 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1002/j.1099-162X.1959.tb00142.x |
International
Organizations
for
Development
in Africa
ADMINISTRATIVE
and
technical officers
are
becoming increasingly
aware
of
and
to some extent concerned with the activities of the various inter-government
organisations which have
been
set up since the
war
to
render
assistance in
under-developed countries. A full description
of
these bodies would be outside
our
scope,
but
a glossary with short notesIon their chieffunctions
maybe
useful.
The
translation from the new mid-century vocabulary of initital letters
and
abbreviations
into
old-fashioned English should be welcome to all
but
the most
learned;
few
of
us in these days
of
specialization
can
claim
an
easy familiarity
with all these labels,
many
of
which-whatever
the saving in time
and
space-
clothe
the
thing itself
with
an
inpenetrable anonymity
of
the same kind as
temporarily descends on a newly created peer.
The
organisations
are
nearly all offspring
of
the
United
Nations
or
part
of
its family.
CCTA,
CSA
and
FAMA
are
not
and
they
are
described
first (these three abbreviations incidentally
are
derived from the
French
titles
of
the organisations).
THE
COMMISSION
FOR
TECHNICAL
CO-OPERATION
IN
AFRICA
SOUTH
OF
THE
SAHARA.
CCTA: the
Commission
for
Technical
Co-operation
in Africa
South
ofthe
Sahara,
has been in existence since 1950.
The
Agreement formally establishing it dates,
however, from 1954, when it was signed by
the
Governments
of
Belgium
France, Portugal, the Federation of Rhodesia
and
Nyasaland, the
Union
of
South Africa
and
the
United
Kingdom.
There
is provision for
the
admission
of
other
countries within the geographical scope
of
the Commission,
and
Ghana
and
Liberia were so
admitted
in 1957
and
Guinea
in 1959·
CCT
Aorganizes technical conferences in Africa, which
are
attended
by
representatives
of
the territories
of
the
member
governments
and
to which
observers from non-member governments in the region
and
from
other
inter-
national organizations
may
be invited.
It
supervises the activities
of
a
number
of
technical
bureaux
and
the execution of special research projects.
It
has also
created a
number
of
advisory committees
and
panels of correspondence.
Among
the
subjects
dealt
with
are
agriculture, forestry,
animal
diseases, social
services, social sciences, medicine, labour, housing
and
statistics.
CCTA
co-operates with
other
international organisations including
the
Specialized
Agencies
of
the
United
Nations.
CCT
A is advised in scientific matters by
CSA-the
Scientific
Council
for
Africa-which
was established in 1950,
and
consists
of
specialist scientists
not
necessarily in government service who
meet
and
discuss
the
scientific
problems
of
Africa.
The
Council suggests new subjects for research
and
how
to set
about
them
and
it provides liaison between, although it does
not
super-
vise, scientific
bureaux
now working in this field
and
individual research
workers.
It
recommends to
CCT
Amethods of co-ordination where this is
desirable
and
specialist conferences when required.
ICompiled by the African Studies Branch in collaboration with the Colonial Office depart-
ments concerned. 18
7
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