The Initiative's kick-off workshop was held in Cape Town in November 2006, where a common ABS vision for Africa and a roadmap of priorities were developed. More than 50 participants representing mainly Southern and Eastern African countries were drawn from the spheres of environmental policy, administration, science, development cooperation, non-governmental organisations, local communities and (pharmaceutical) industry representatives. Representatives from French speaking African countries also attended the meetings of this Anglophone workshop, as well as the second Africa-wide workshop in December 2007 in Nairobi.

The methodology of the Initiative and the results of the Cape Town workshop were presented at the constitutional meeting of the Working Group on Biological Diversity of the COMIFAC (Central African Forest Commission), held in December 2006 in Sao Tome. The 10 COMIFAC countries  (Burundi, Cameroon, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Guinea Equatorial, Central African Republic, Rwanda, Sao Tome and Principe and Chad) requested a complementary ABS capacity development process for the Central African Region. Considering the objectives of the COMIFAC convergence plan and with financial contributions of the Agence Française du Développement (French Development Agency, AFD) and BMZ this process started as subregional part of the Initiative focussing on a common ABS approach in policy and implementation for the COMIFAC members.

Co-financed by the Institut de l'énergie et de l'environnement de la Francophonie (Institute for Energy and Environment of the Francophonie, IEPF), a proper ABS process for West Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands started in Marrakesh.

The punctual co-funding support of IEPF for the French speaking Africa resulted in a long-term co-funding commitment beginning in 2008, thus developing what began as the Dutch-German ABS Capacity Development Initiative for Africa into a multi-donor initiative spanning nature conservation, poverty alleviation and governance.

On the one hand there is an increasing demand to support regional capacity building processes addressing specific needs, framework conditions and language particularities. On the other hand, there is a political necessity for a common African position in the current negotiations of the International ABS Regime. In order to facilitate the development of this common position, viewpoints regarding the potential elements of the ABS International Regime have been elaborated in all sub-regional processes. Prior to the ABS-Working Groups (WGABS-5, Montreal, October 2007 and WGABS-6, Geneva, January 2008) the Initiative provided a meeting platform with simultaneous interpretation allowing the African ABS Focal Points to discuss the results of the subregional workshops and to elaborate a common position. For further information technical briefs on the agenda items of the ABS negotiations were prepared in French and English for the African delegates by the independent Centre for International Sustainable Development and Law (CISDL).  Addressing the high demand from the African Group also prior to COP 9 in Bonn Germany a briefing was conducted which was attended by both, CBD and ABS Focal Points.

In order to develop political support for enhanced ABS activities in African countries awareness of high level politicians on the importance of fair and practical ABS regulations is crucial - be it on national, regional or international level. Therefore, the Initiative invited 15 key African Ministers of the CBD Focal Ministries accompanied by their CBD/ABS Focal Points to a briefing on Mahé, Seychelles, to a prepare for COP 9. This high-level gathering - also provided with simultaneous interpretation - focussed strongly on ABS while also tackling other important COP issues on the sidelines. The meeting included hands-on presentations of bioprospecting cases during a field trip.