How can we address both demand and supply side capacity to improve development results?

[WBICapacityDevelopment&Results]

Capacity development is an essential ingredient for Africa's development goals. However, traditional approaches to capacity development are not sufficient to support change. There is a need to re-think how capacity development is practiced and to build concrete evidence on what works to achieve results in countries.

One important area to address: How might African institutions address both demand and supply side capacity to improve development results? Particularly, how can the capacity of country actors to exercise demand and participate in development processes be strengthened?

This discussion is presented in advance of the upcoming event "Catalyzing Change for Results in Africa–the Role of Capacity Devel... (April 19) during the World Bank’s 2012 Spring Meetings. Shanta Devarajan, Chief Economist, Africa Region, World Bank, gave an interview in which he discussed these issues and capacity building in Africa overall. (This event will be webcast live in English and French.)

[Oladipo Michael Aderohunmu]

Capacity development is an essential ingredient for Nigeria and for Africa’s development goal .However for a country like mine, Nigeria to move out of “growth without development “ syndrome, we must take a critical look at the traditional and modern approach of local government soci-economic management. For some people, managing human and material resources seems so difficult, while for others the process is easily achieved; you will only notice the apparent changes that had occurred during this process. The different reside in ability to plan adequately for developmental projects for the benefit of all, and capacity to implement community planned projects effectively. It is for these reasons that we have suggested mandatory training for officers in charge of developmental projects to acquire necessary and required skills.

To build concrete evidence, we believe that capacity can be acquired in the case of Nigeria, local government chairmen and officers are directly affected. Training will provide participating officers with a greater understanding of the Government projects, business practices, economic policies, political structures and cultural environments of Nigeria. The program will focus on the unique aspects of developmental projects and ways of doing business, comparing and contrasting the different project and business environments in Nigeria.

It will provide officers driving local governments projects to engage in economic development activity, this also analyses factors that account for variation in such activity, the way local officials think about economic development-including its political logic-and the political activity that characterizes local economic development policy. With respect to the local politics of economic development, this will provide gradual improvement on the supply side and enable the process to be strengthened.