West Africa is a region which represent several countries.
Leaders from Creative’s projects in Africa and the Middle East came together for a summit at Creative’s headquarters to discuss systems strengthening in education. Four Chiefs of Party and one technical expert shared their experiences about how projects in Ethiopia, Jordan, Nigeria, Somalia and Yemen are working locally to build up the systems that support education.
All five of the project leaders are from Africa, and three are Chiefs of Party in their home countries, making their insights particularly interesting.
These 10 quotes from the summit explore what systems strengthening entails and how it can succeed.
What does systems strengthening mean to you?
What are the ingredients for successful systems strengthening?
What stands in the way of successful systems strengthening?
In 2011, the USAID Education Strategy emphasized the importance of early grade reading in lower- and middle-income countries and shaped our sector’s focus for years to come.
A recent USAID webinar reviewed a study on a decade of early grade reading support, which revealed that an estimated 246 million students, along with millions of teachers and administrators, in 53 countries have benefited from the U.S. government’s initiatives.
USAID has invested heavily in improving early literacy rates, with mixed results. There are positive trends in the most recent generation of early grade reading programs which have been able to more successfully scale, have better impact on reading outcomes and are more cost effective.
“USAID programs made significant increases in learning outcomes when they built on the success of multi-generational programs, utilized existing systems, and worked in partnership with governments to ensure sustainability,” the report said.
“To support meaningful reform, [early grade reading] programs must reflect a deep understanding of the local context, be based on close collaboration with partner-country governments, and apply evidence-based reading instruction approaches adapted to reflect existing capacity and systems.”
These findings did not come as a surprise to Creative as we have been implementing early grade reading programs in lower- and middle-income countries, particularly those in crisis and conflict contexts, for decades and our programs are built upon these core principles.
A prime example is our NEI+ program in Nigeria which was one of eight early grade reading programs to be cited as showing impact at scale in the recent RTI Learning at Scale Report.
So how do we apply these principles and build on these key elements?
Creative’s early grade reading work in Nigeria is a prime example of how multigenerational programs can build on success and invest the time needed to see lasting change. Creative has implemented more than 14 years of consecutive USAID-funded programming, including the Northern Education Initiative (2009-2014), the Northern Education Initiative Plus project (2015-2021), and, currently the Leveraging Education Assistance Resources in Nigeria to Read project (2022-2027).
NEI focused on improving early grade reading in Bauchi and Sokoto states through evidence-based teacher practices, improved access to context- and language-appropriate materials, better assessment and stronger government systems.
NEI+ continued those activities and scaled up its work to strengthen Bauchi and Sokoto states’ capacity to improve reading outcomes for more than one million children and youth and increase access to basic education, especially for girls and out-of-school children.
We are now implementing the five-year LEARN to Read project, which leverages the wider education system resources to expand successful reading practices to additional states.
Change must come from within a system in order to be sustainable. We have seen real progress and sustainable outcomes in places like Nigeria where we have been able to move from programs that implement technical assistance hand in hand with the government (NEI and NEI+) to a program (LEARN) that now has the government in the leading role with Creative providing support on demand. This transition has not been overnight but is the direction that is necessary for lasting change.
Leading three generations of programs in Nigeria has enabled Creative to gain a deep understanding of the local context, actors and system so that we can ensure our programming is tailored to local needs and conditions. To strengthen systems you have to understand how they function, who the actors are at different levels of the system, the distribution of power and resources, levers for change and more. This information can only be gained through deep relationships and trust built over time.
Creative works within and through local systems with the Ministry of Education as our key partner to ensure sustainability. We work within the system from the schools all the way to the national level to build a stronger foundation rather than building a parallel system. For example, instead of hiring coaches to support teachers or using our staff as trainers, we work with existing stakeholders in the system to build their capacity through a learn-by-doing approach so that the capacity is developed within the system to continue this work.
Creative believes that interventions must be owned by the host country to be successful. This is why we focus heavily on strengthening Nigeria’s education system and its actors from the federal to local levels. Through 14 years of working together with the Ministry of Education and other education actors we have built trusted relationships that enable us to quickly gain buy-in, create collaborative approaches, and build capacity to maintain and sustain activities.
We partner with relevant government ministries, departments and agencies to manage education more effectively and enhance teacher training, coaching and regular monitoring and assessment related to early grade reading. Examples of how this led to sustainable systems in Nigeria are that the state governments used their own budgets for printing textbooks, training teachers outside of NEI+ schools and conducting assessments such as the EGRA and the LEMA.
Creative applies our tailored structured pedagogy approach across all of our early grade reading programming. This approach prioritizes a comprehensive package of inputs such as student books in local languages, scripted teacher guides, frequent teacher training and coaching necessary for quality teaching and learning of foundational skills.
Implementers and funders alike need to account for these lessons learned in order to see real progress in early learning and literacy outcomes. The next generation of programs should provide more time to establish reading programs that are embedded in local systems and offer a system strengthening framework so that the Ministry of Education and other educational stakeholders are leading the process from day one.
Balkissa is not only a model of success but an inspiration to those around her
At age 16, Balkissa Idrissa left school to get married and join her new husband in Bentia village, near Mali’s border with Niger. Soon after the wedding in 2011, her community and others in the area were beset by a conflict that officially ended with the signing of the 2015 Algiers Peace Accord.
Nonetheless, ongoing conflict is common and communities often fall prey to occupation by violent extremist organizations.
Balkissa tried to pursue work outside of her home, but this proved difficult and dangerous. The group that controlled the area prohibited women from outside employment, particularly in agriculture and trade. As she turned 26, she was already a mother to three children and needed safe work that would earn enough to contribute meaningfully to her growing family’s household expenses.
Following a futile search for employment, she heard about the Groupe de Réflexion pour les Initiatives de Développement (GRIDEV)—a community-based organization conducting training for young women like her. GRIDEV received a grant from USAID Peacebuilding, Stabilization and Reconciliation program to work in Balkissa’s community advancing local solutions to the on-going conflict through livelihood and leadership training with youth.
With the grant, GRIDEV conducted a four-day training on tailoring for young women and, at the end, attendees received starter kits that each included a sewing machine, fabric and basic tools of the trade. With her starter kit in hand, Balkissa launched her tailoring business.
Family members were her first customers and she methodically set competitive prices and delivered quality goods. Through hard work and determination, she earned the approval of neighbors who praised her skills and spread the word. Soon, her customer list expanded and so did her profits, averaging $75 a month, enough to modestly expand the business while covering a meaningful portion of her family’s budget.
Balkissa is an inspiration to others and shares her skills with local youth whose school closed due to threats of violence.
“Despite a rough start to my life, I have been successful,” Balkissa says. “Now, with the closure of the Bentia school, I have welcomed three additional girls and a boy, ages 15 and 16, into my workshop to learn the ropes of this job. These days, I am looking for additional support to expand the business and enhance the workshop’s capacity.”
To strengthen the capacity of youth as leaders and agents of change in their communities, and to develop their resilience in the face of violent extremism, Peacebuilding, Stabilization and Reconciliation program has delivered entrepreneurship and skills-based trainings to more than 1,400 people. Among these were 714 people reached by grants to eight local civil society organizations like GRIDEV in the regions of Segou, Mopti, Gao and Menaka.
Mariama, a female community leader in Bentia, praises the seamstresses’ dedication and quality.
“Balkissa’s tailoring workshop is beneficial to the community and she is a great role model for youth who are looking for funding opportunities to carry out similar activities. This kind of support is necessary and will help to reduce the risk of the youth being recruited and joining armed groups.”
Economic growth, peace, youth and climate change are among the eight topics to be addressed during the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit. In anticipation of the Summit (Dec. 13 to 15, 2022) in Washington, D.C., Creative gathered comments from its implementing partners, grantees and others in Africa about a few of these issues. The answers have been edited for length and clarity. They do not reflect the opinions of Creative or its clients.
Kassim Fomba, Director of Think Peace in Mali, whose organization is a partner and consortium member of the of the USAID-funded Peacebuilding, Stabilization and Reconciliation program. Think Peace is a Malian organization that focuses on peace, security, reconciliation, governance and the fight against violent extremism at the local, regional and national levels. It specifically works to improve peace and governance in Mali through youth engagement.
Answer: Mali, like several countries in the Sahel, faces multiple crises. We need to ensure collaboration that will contribute to the strengthening of institutions for better governance. Diplomacy must be part of promoting the free movement of people and goods and the creation of conditions conducive to Africa’s successful participation in the global market. There are a few investments that U.S. and African leaders should make that would enhance youth engagement:
Increase youth inclusion in decision-making bodies with the goal of increased participation in development activities. In communities, youth are excluded from the management and benefits of public resources. This leads to a rural exodus, a loss of labor, banditry and more.
Support African governments’ efforts to strengthen and enforce legal frameworks governing the exploitation of natural resources. In Mali, populations residing in the geographical areas of these natural resource sites often benefit least. On the contrary, they suffer consequences including armed insurgency, rural exodus and poverty.
Develop vocational training and business creation strategies that facilitate young entrepreneurs’ access to financing. Youth who are seeking funds for their startups cannot access traditional banking services.
Finally, create jobs through the industrialization of African countries, including the establishment of raw materials processing units.
Rakiatou Tchassama Salifou, President, Centre de Recherche et d’Appui pour le Développement Local (CRADEL), Benin
Answer: In Benin and many parts of West Africa, our mothers would put three stones together, place a pot on these stones and cook. With only two stones, the pot would be unstable, and all the food would eventually spill over. In building peace and social cohesion, women represent the third stone – often overlooked but essential to the stability of their community.
In our context in the north and especially along the border, women are the first to notice strange behavior and the presence of unknown faces; they pick up and share a lot of information while trading and going about their daily activities. This information may not seem relevant at first but may be of significance to the security forces and community leaders.
That’s why in our engagements with women, we train them about early warning and reporting; we encourage them to speak up and explain to them that they are the ‘third stone’ of their community and should therefore be ambassadors for peace – and it’s working!
Father Thaddeus, Executive Chair, Northern Peace Council, Tamale, Ghana, whose organization is a grantee of the USAID/OTI-supported Littorals Regional Initiative.
Answer: I always say that peace is when people are living nonviolently and with respectful attention to the legitimate needs of others or one another. My major measure of peace is nonviolent relationships. And that is why I’m very disheartened to say that we are still not there. Because if you look at nonviolence, it’s not just about physical. You can suppress physical violence, but psychological violence is very pervasive. How can we minimize this?
Frequently in my interventions, I’m trying to help people to relate with each other with great attention to the fact that in our relationships we are not violating each other either physically, psychologically, culturally or even structurally. So my answer if you ask the question “what will be my measure of future for peace” is when I see our communities living together, cohesively, nonviolently, with respect to one another and respecting our differences. For me that is my measure for peace. But some people will tell me it’s very difficult to measure that.
Mira Mehta, Founder & CEO, Tomato Jos in Nigeria, whose company is a grantee of the USAID-funded West Africa Trade & Investment Hub.
Answer: The security situation within Nigeria in general, and Kaduna State specifically, has deteriorated significantly since 2019. Kidnappings for ransom have been on the rise, and large groups of bandits have taken control of many rural areas, including forests in and around the Kangimi Dam where Tomato Jos and its partner farmers are located. Tomato Jos has had to increase its security significantly. Secondly, we have restricted our operations to our allocated land which enjoys this security. With the help of all our security, we ensure that no farmer stays on the farm beyond 5:30 p.m.
Last and most importantly, community engagement. Our smallholder program engages more than 1,000 farmers who usually have more than seven other persons working for them each. The tomato factory and other operations also employ more than 4,000 people from the surrounding communities. And many other small businesses have opened up as a result of this project. These opportunities have engaged the vast majority of people in the community and we believe these have significant impacts on the security we enjoy. Since the whole Tomato Jos farm is cultivated by smallholder farmers, the whole surrounding communities are stakeholders in the project and have therefore shown commitment to ensuring the farm is secured. By engaging the community and making them have a stake in this project, community members are our very first layer of security.
Christopher Zaw, CEO & Partner, Warc Ghana, whose organization is a grantee of the USAID West Africa Trade & Investment Hub.
Answer: Warc’s mission has two pillars: Getting subsistence farmers out of poverty; and helping them become climate heroes. Given that Warc’s farmers are based in the Upper West of Ghana in the Sahel region, where climate change can critically impact farmers’ production, we are key supporters of ensuring agriculture becomes climate smart, as fast as possible.
Warc is a major promoter of no-till agriculture and regenerative agricultural practices. Since our inception, we have been converting farming land in West Africa from traditional and conventional agriculture to low- and no-till practices. Our focus has always been on soil management and protecting humanity’s greatest resource – its soil.
We also encourage farmers to engage in crop rotation – a key element of fighting disease and pests, as well as conserving natural biodiversity of soils. We promote maize and soybean crop rotation for farmers, to allow soybean, a legume that fixes nitrogen in the soil, allowing the following maize crop to benefit and reducing farmers’ reliance on additional chemical fertilizers.
The benefits for this change occur over time. Ultimately, we’re referring to an entirely new system of agriculture.
Sjoerd Melsert, Senior Investment Manager, Cordaid Investment Management B.V., which partners with the USAID West Africa Trade & Investment Hub.
Answer: Cordaid Investment Management invests in fragile states like Mali and Burkina Faso, where armed groups threaten peace and security in the region and draw in local youth. With the devastating numbers of youth unemployment, many see no alternative. We want to give that chance to vulnerable populations. With USAID’s support, we invest in small- and medium-sized enterprises that create jobs and economic opportunities for women and youth.
For instance, one of our investees in Mali Access SA, a mini-grid developer, is providing clean energy access to rural areas that in many cases have only 2 percent electrification rate. We helped finance the project that supported 745 microentrepreneurs and created 240 direct jobs during construction. The company hires and trains young engineers, many of whom are women. Moreover, solar power enabled rural communities to engage in small businesses, like becoming a tailor or opening a small café. Investments like this create an impact on many levels that, in turn, support peace, security and good governance in the Sahel.
Social media has become the fastest way to disseminate information and spread disinformation, and Mali is no exception. The country faces numerous challenges that compound the proliferation and impact of inaccurate information which can influence public opinion on important issues, fuel conflict and impede peace and development.
To help address these challenges, USAID’s Peacebuilding Stabilization and Reconciliation (PSR) progeam rolled out media literacy training for youth and members of two election umbrella organizations. These activities launched in November 2021 with a series of trainings promoting tools and techniques that allow social media users to identify information sources, verify the factual bases for online information, use storytelling to address and counter inaccurate narratives, and ultimately train others in these techniques
Hawa Drissa, a 29-year-old advocate for people living with disabilities, took advantage of the training to become an ambassador of fact-checking in her community not far from the capital. Most of Hawa’s neighbors cannot read or write, she says, which makes it hard for them to use online tools to verify news they hear on the radio or in the market.
This is especially true for those living with hearing, speech, or visual impairments. Hawa is active as part of local associations working with people living with disabilities. For their members, it can be particularly challenging to promote best practices without the right resources, such as sign language translators. Hawa is determined to help overcome these hurdles and, as soon as she completed the training, she started spreading the word about how to separate fact from fiction.
In the first two weeks after her training, Hawa reached more than 40 people in her family and neighborhood, as well as to members of the associations she supports.
“Some of them have never thought about the subject before,” says Hawa. During a discussion about media literacy, one young woman told her that, “We often post on social media and spread information without thinking. I personally did not know there were techniques and tools available to verify the news. I will be more careful now.”
Hawa immediately began to see the positive impact of these efforts among her peers.
From November 2021 to May 2022, PSR trained 263 people on media literacy and fact-checking skills. USAID built on the success of these trainings to design and conduct the “Tignè ni Maya” campaign, truth and humanity in the Bamanankan language. Tignè ni Maya enhanced media literacy and promoted the sharing of accurate information through digital and radio campaigns.
From August to September 2022, this initiative worked with bloggers, civil society organizations and the media to promote positive media literacy messages to two million people via Facebook, more than three million via TikTok, nearly one million on Whatsapp, and approximately four million through community radio.
President Biden is hosting the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit in mid-December to demonstrate the United States’ enduring commitment to Africa, underscoring the importance of U.S.-Africa relations and increased cooperation on shared global priorities.
“Africa will shape the future — not just the future of the African people, but of the world. Africa will make the difference in tackling the most urgent challenges and seizing the opportunities we all face,” said the State Department in its event announcement.
Africa has gone through major social, economic and political transformations in the last 25 years. These changes are accentuated by rapid demographic shifts, globalization, the emergence of new technologies and networks and the rising expectations of a predominantly young population.
As leaders from across Africa join President Biden in Washington, it worth considering how development factors into the shared goals the summit will explore.
This summit is an opportunity to embrace partnership. Partnership is not about being domineering or dictating terms because you are in control of resources. It is about working together in the spirit of equality, mutual respect and reciprocity. I hope the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit will use this as its main tenet.
The U.S. Agency for International Development’s recent policy on localization is a step in the right direction. Locally led development allows local actors to frame their developmental agendas, develop solutions, and bring the capacity, leadership, and resources to make those solutions a sustainable reality.
Ideally, the U.S. Administration could take this to the next level of partnership by fostering new economic engagement and advancing good governance to hold governments accountable of their own development aspirations.
Africa’s development hinges upon the strength and robustness of the private sector. Africa can graduate from aid recipient to global player through mutually beneficial commercial partnerships. Powerful economies like the U.S. can promote attractive investment ventures in Africa and host governments can create a favorable environment for investment partnership.
Africa is at an exciting point in its development, and it is full of assets that provide fertile ground for rapid growth.
The continent is rich in natural resources and has a young, vibrant population. The continent has seen expanded internet access, affordable mobile connections and the growing use of social media. Mobility across the globe and increased inclusion in international finance have provided opportunities for exposure and learning exchanges.
African people are increasingly participating in the growth agenda through an emerging vibrant civic society and other non-state organizations. African governments are no longer the sole actors in framing the development agenda.
NGOs, the business community, civic societies, religious institutions, individual champions of peace, philanthropic organizations, renowned leaders in the art and music communities, and academic and research institutions, among others, have made themselves heard and have seen their ideas put into action.
While Africa is well-poised for growth, there are still barriers to the region achieving its full potential.
The continent faces rising and extreme economic disparity. Authoritarian regimes stand in the way of progress. Fragile states, those experiencing ongoing conflict and those in post-conflict situations continue to demand attention across the region and challenge the development agenda.
The threat of religious extremism worsens by the day. Residents of Nigeria, Somalia, Chad, Central African Republic and Mozambique face daily disruptions to their lives. In some cases, these situations are developing into humanitarian crises characterized by loss of life and livelihood and a breakdown of social fabric and community support systems.
Despite these challenges, the resilience and ingenuity of African people gives me hope that the continent will see more growth and prosperity.
The U.S. Agency for International Development is supporting Africa’s development through economic programs. The Creative-implemented West Africa Trade and Investment Hub (WATIH) project, for example, seeks to improve private sector competition in West Africa.
By working in partnership with the private sector and fostering co-investments through our Co-Investment Fund, the Trade Hub generates new private-sector capital investment in key sectors to create jobs and increase trade between the United States and West Africa.
Africa will indeed shape the future, and the partnerships we build now will help it be a prosperous future for all.
Semere Solomon is the Senior Director of the Growth Strategy Department at Creative Associates International.
Two key phenomena intersect in the rural areas of the north – both of which are detrimental to women.
Nearly 35 percent of land in Ghana is under threat of desertification, with much of it located in the north. As households in these areas depend heavily on agriculture for their livelihoods, desertification and degradation pose real threats to financial stability and food security. Meanwhile, patriarchal customs deny women land ownership. Land inheritance is patrilineal—men own land, while women can only work on it.
Together, they restrict women’s access to agricultural production, food security and income generation. AMAATI Co. Ltd., led by CEO Salma Abdulai, set out to address the issue of women’s marginalization through empowering women who do not own land in northern Ghana.
“Our approach is a deliberate attempt to respond to the unique needs of rural women to advance sustainable development for themselves and their communities by addressing their limited rights to land, credit and natural resources that compromise their income and food security,” says CEO Abdulai.
Established in 2014, AMAATI also pioneered the revival of the cultivation of fonio, a drought-resistant crop that also regenerates degraded soil. “AMAATI addresses women’s marginalization by facilitating access to abandoned marginal lands through their community leaders, supporting them to cultivate fonio on these poor soils for food and income,” she adds.
Through USAID/Ghana, the West Africa Trade & Investment Hub awarded AMAATI a $742,000 co-investment grant to develop a 1,000-acre nucleus farm in Mion District in the Northern Region and to support 6,000 women farmers to produce fonio. The Trade Hub’s grant also helps the company to secure $4.5 million in private investments to modernize the factory and generate $4.6 million in exports to the United States and Europe.
With operations primarily in Chereponi, a USAID Zone of Influence in the North East Region, AMAATI negotiates with local chiefs to lease abandoned or degraded land to the company’s name. The company registers and trains women farmers, who are then allotted plots to cultivate fonio.
Prior to AMAATI’s program, these women would typically have only been given one or two acres of their fathers’ or husbands’ farms on which to cultivate subsistence crops. With AMAATI’s intervention, they can lay claim to an additional one to three acres on which to cultivate a burgeoning export crop.
To protect their incomes, AMAATI pre-finances the farmers’ seeds and ensures a buy-back of 80 percent of the fonio produced, while encouraging them to retain 20 percent for their own households. This buy-back arrangement guarantees year-round financial stability and food security for these female farmers.
Additionally, as fonio has become more of a household staple as the crop’s acceptance grows in the region, many of the women’s husbands have also begun cultivating fonio on their own farms.
From its inception, AMAATI has put the welfare of women at the forefront of its operations. Co-founded and led by a female CEO, the company ensures that women are represented in leadership throughout the organization. Today, 75 percent of AMAATI’s workforce (factory and administrative) is made up of women, and female farmers comprise approximately 80 percent of their outgrowers.
“We create dignified and sustainable livelihoods for women, both at the factory (women processes) and on the field (women farmers), to reduce their social and economic power inequalities and compensate them for living up to their social responsibilities,” she says.
To date, AMAATI has successfully onboarded 5,508 women farmers (91 percent of their target) to the fonio outgrower program. The women farmers use their proceeds from their buy-back agreement with AMAATI to repair their homes, set up small businesses, plant other crops or selling provisions, and even to save towards paying for their personal tertiary education fees.
In the future, AMAATI seeks to encourage more of their outgrowers to open bank accounts and plans to work with financial institutions to establish arrangements for the farmers to repay future loans on a schedule that coincides with their fonio sales. This would allow their women farmers more financial independence and the capacity to fully participate in the local economy.
AMAATI’s work in providing a pathway to economic inclusion for women is invaluable in the bid to support women in the smallholder agricultural economy. Given access to the necessary resources, women would be able to substantially reduce the nation’s food insecurity and import dependence, as AMAATI successfully demonstrates. Working with women who are disenfranchised from land ownership, on plots that would otherwise be abandoned, AMAATI is not only restoring agricultural land, but also the livelihoods of these women and their families.
Equally important to social inclusion and the growth of household income are the production results. “We have also increased our production capacity to 3.5 tons/day from 500kg/day, and we hope to upgrade to 10 tons/day by April 2023,” says CEO Abdulai.
Akua Mensah is a West Africa Trade & Investment Hub Communication Specialist.
Novelist Thomas Mann once said: “Everything is politics.” Likewise, thinking and working politically (TWP) is at the core of all we do in development.
A group of Thinking and Working Politically Community of Practice members – a group that blogger Duncan Green affectionally calls “aid wonks” who “try and move aid from a pure focus on technical issues, towards taking account of power and politics” – held a working session several months ago on the state of TWP. Duncan Green’s blog has a good summary of the meeting. As part of that group, we looked for successes and what is next on the heels of an interesting piece from Graham Teskey that takes stock of TWP efforts since its founding nearly a decade ago.
During the working session, several themes emerged:
Our real-world experiences have taught us that TWP can be an effective tool for more than donors and implementing partners. TWP can serve as a way of working among local actors to guide strategic decision making and as a tool for empowerment.
People in Nigeria’s northeastern states face a host of challenges — from poverty to violent extremist organizations like Boko Haram and ISIS-West Africa — that continuously block their path to peace, inclusion and economic prosperity.
The USAID North East Connection program takes a preventative and holistic approach to addressing the causes of violent conflict in the region. By targeting localities that are vulnerable to violent extremist infiltration and conflict, but not yet under their influence, the North East Connection program strengthens community resilience by improving their ability to respond to emerging threats.
Creative’s team is implementing TWP through its internal processes across the project’s lifespan and in its programming with stakeholders.
At the most basic level, the team dedicates time each week to incorporate trends and dynamics across the project’s three target states. This establishes a strong foundation to inform the project about who (and how) they are engaging, as well as how to adapt over time.
The project carries TWP into the grant co-creation processes. The team builds on context analysis to help guide local grantees to work politically through implementation of their grants, taking into consideration key actors and local dynamics.
North East Connection also holds learning and networking sessions with local actors in northeastern Nigeria, convening stakeholders for knowledge sharing and collaboration around their work, lessons and analysis. While seemingly straightforward, this partner-focused series of exchanges, based on learning and contextual analysis, has empowered the North East Connection’s partners.
Finally, the project draws on political economy analysis to support local actors in building new alliances. In Adamawa State, where a sugar company’s presence was leading to tension in the host communities, the project was able to facilitate dialogues among company, communities and other stakeholders.
The project worked with communities to relay their grievances through existing community conflict mitigation mechanisms and work towards peaceful dialogue with the sugar company, while also supporting community and government actors to advocate for corporate social responsibility initiatives. This led the sugar company to commit $10 million in host communities. North East Connection will provide both financial and technical assistance to local actors to track this commitment and its impact.
The TWP Community of Practice is keen to expand the discussion and is planning a series of online discussions, including an upcoming webinar on December 5, looking back on 10 years of USAID experience. At Creative, we will continue to intentionally engage local actors in TWP processes on projects, including in implementing applied PEAs, in line with our commitment to advance locally led development.
We can start with our project teams and partners and building communities of practice to share learning within and across contexts and on how we engage local partners in the design and implementation of TWP and related tools as part of localization efforts. Indeed, TWP can help identify new actors and efforts within a context to build alliances and leverage existing mechanisms for change.
Susan Kemp is the Director of Creative’s Governance Practice Area and Christian Adanu is the Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning Manager for the USAID-supported North East Connection project.