The year 2001 was another busy and largely productive year for ACBF. The Foundation completed its first decade of operations on 9 February 2001. Established as a response to the shortcomings of technical assistance in Africa, the Foundation has over the years learnt many lessons concerning the intricate tasks involved in the design, start-up, implementation and long-term sustainability of indigenous capacity-building interventions. These lessons served the Foundation well as it entered the second year of implementation of the Partnership for Capacity Building in Africa (PACT) Initiative, which broadened the scope of its activities on the Continent.