Key risks What actions were What further actions will be Risk Rating Risks in in taken to manage risks taken to manage risks in the Post’s Risk over the past year? coming year? Register?* Political instability in a Ongoing monitoring of Ongoing monitoring through High n/a number of fragile states country political and our posts and partners. continues. economic contexts as well as development activities through our posts and partners. Australia is unable to Deliver a program of The Awards program Medium n/a provide awards and short courses manager will oversee an engage effectively with for those countries increase in the number and those countries that are unable to access variety of in-country short not eligible for student student visas. courses available for visas. countries unable to access student visas by 201920. Humanitarian partners Selection of Risks will be managed in High n/a unable to deliver and humanitarian partners accordance with the Africa monitor assistance due is based on capacity to Humanitarian Risk Register to reduced access access people in need resulting from and experience increasing insecurity operating in focus and adverse weather. countries. Reputational risk due to Regular communication Africa branch to engage with Low n/a reliance on a small with partners and other global programs and other number of donors on progress of government departments to implementing partners investments. facilitate information sharing and other government with posts about funding in departments to deliver their countries of program objectives. accreditation in 2017. A small funding Posts to engage in In 2017-18, Africa posts will Medium n/a footprint in Africa may partnerships and key continue strategic make it difficult to forums to maintain engagement to identify implement a credible presence and arising country priorities. Our aid program and reputation and programs aim to build a maintain Australia’s complement Desk’s reputation for responding credibility and strategic overarching flexibly to regional and input with partners. management of the national priorities, Australia Awards. particularly through the Australia Awards and humanitarian assistance. *If no, consider updating the Risk Register There are no major changes to the overall risk profile in 2016-17. The number of bilateral investments has declined further because of the reduction and rephasing of the Australian aid budget in 2013-14. DFAT global programs and other Australian Government Departments continue to deliver an increasing proportion of the agriculture program. DFAT Africa Branch maintains engagement with whole-of-government partners, CSIRO, ACIAR and the Department of Energy and Environment to emphasise the importance of capturing development results. DFAT is revising the agriculture objective and benchmarks under the Sub-Saharan Africa program to reflect changes to the program delivery.
Key risks What actions were taken to manage risks over the past year? What further actions will be taken to manage risks in the coming year? Risk Rating Risks in in Post’s Risk Register?* Political instability in a number of fragile states continues. Ongoing monitoring of country political and economic contexts as well as development activities through our posts and partners. Ongoing monitoring through our posts and partners. High n/a Australia is unable to provide awards and engage effectively with those countries that are not eligible for student visas. Deliver a program of short courses for those countries unable to access student visas. The Awards program manager will oversee an increase in the number and variety of in-country short courses available for countries unable to access student visas by 201920. Medium n/a Humanitarian partners unable to deliver and monitor assistance due to reduced access resulting from increasing insecurity and adverse weather. Selection of humanitarian partners is based on capacity to access people in need and experience operating in focus countries. Risks will be managed in accordance with the Africa Humanitarian Risk Register High n/a Reputational risk due to reliance on a small number of implementing partners and other government departments to deliver program objectives. Regular communication with partners and other donors on progress of investments. Africa branch to engage with global programs and other government departments to facilitate information sharing with posts about funding in their countries of accreditation in 2017. Low n/a A small funding footprint in Africa may make it difficult to implement a credible aid program and maintain Australia’s credibility and strategic input with partners. Posts to engage in partnerships and key forums to maintain presence and reputation and complement Desk’s overarching management of the Australia Awards. In 2017-18, Africa posts will continue strategic engagement to identify arising country priorities. Our programs aim to build a reputation for responding flexibly to regional and national priorities, particularly through the Australia Awards and humanitarian assistance. Medium n/a *If no, consider updating the Risk Register There are no major changes to the overall risk profile in 2016-17. The number of bilateral investments has declined further because of the reduction and rephasing of the Australian aid budget in 2013-14. DFAT global programs and other Australian Government Departments continue to deliver an increasing proportion of the agriculture program. DFAT Africa Branch maintains engagement with whole-of-government partners, CSIRO, ACIAR and the Department of Energy and Environment to emphasise the importance of capturing development results. DFAT is revising the agriculture objective and benchmarks under the Sub-Saharan Africa program to reflect changes to the program delivery.
sub-saharan-africa-appr-2016-17.docx