2.1.7 Institution and capacity strengthening on IE

Indicators: a) GP and LL on institutions and capacity strengthening on IE identified.

b) Challenges on institutions and capacity strengthening on IE identified and possible means to overcome identified and analysed.

Data Analysis Methods: Identification of on institutions and capacity strengthening methods/tools implemented. Systems analysis to identify the key institutional actors, their roles and means of coordination. Identification of GP and LL on institutions and capacity strengthening.

Recommendations:

1. Ensure projects include focus on capacity strengthening of institutional partners and dissemination of project learning as specifically related to the IE:

Include focus on capacity strengthening of government institutions including local authorities.
Promote training of trainers in government institutions so that they can continue to train others in their respective offices.

References:

____________________

2. Ensure that projects include systematic approaches to clearly identify the desired capacity strengthening outputs and outcomes on the IE.

Assess the capacities and performance of cooperating partners at different levels.
Develop standard tools for capacity assessment of local partners based on past experience in the local context.

References:

____________________

3. Promote the establishment of close working relations with institutional stakeholders who work on IE issues and related social inclusion at all levels. Strengthen them and provide them with tools and products to enable quality implementation. Specifically ensure advocacy and technical support for local level governance of project actions.

References:

____________________

4. Ensure that there is great clarity of roles and responsibilities of project partners and other the stakeholders affecting project implementation on IE programming and related social inclusion:

Promote mapping of relevant institutional stakeholders and their roles, gaps and opportunities with regard to project outputs and outcomes.
Ensure that training is based on partners’ collective needs and priorities.

References:

____________________

5. Focus on including a range of government offices, including ministries, bureaus, universities and municipalities to implement actions on the IE and social inclusion as this contributes to effectiveness.

Reference: Edible oil value chain enhancement in Ethiopia Final Evaluation of the Joint Programme

____________________

6. Ensure that the selection of an appropriate structure (within government) is carefully identified as there needs to be sufficient buy-in from the structure to attain real policy change. Determine that there is a real interest of the agency in participating in the project. The choice may not always be the most immediately obvious line ministry or office within a government entity. Ensure that projects plan continued advocacy, follow up and diplomacy to mediate any internal conflicts and/or competition within such offices.

Reference: Women’s Entrepreneurship Development and Gender Equality-Southern Africa.

____________________

7. In capacity strengthening planning on IE issues in fragile states include focus on:

Sensitivity to historical animosities
Civil society supporting efforts to influence positive change.
Build confidence combined with longer term structural reform based on careful analysis of the drivers of conflict
Integrate democracy, human rights and governance principles and practices into development approaches.

Reference: Ending extreme poverty in fragile contexts, Review of multiple projects and/or actions, Getting to Zero: A USAID discussion serie.

____________________

8. When developing capacities to provide support to people dependent on the IE, use a broad range of organisation development approaches beyond only providing training. These may include organisation analysis to determine strengths and gaps and providing direct technical support to build on strengths and address gaps.

References:

____________________

9. Ensure that early institutional and community level consultations are conducted prior to commencement of activities on IE issues. (While this is often recommended it is often ignored or insufficiently carried out).

Reference: Improvement of livelihoods for vulnerable in urban and peri-urban areas of Galkayo.

____________________

10. Capacity strengthening results should be measured immediately post training/technical support on IE issues. It should, however, also be conducted at later intervals to determine the actual impact and usefulness of learning. Conduct such impact assessments 3 – 6 months after intervention and again at later stages as relevant.

____________________

11. Impact assessments of IE related programming should determine what can be applied, what cannot be applied and why to improve future capacity strengthening efforts. Ensure that impact assessment findings are actively applied and not only remain in an impact assessment report.

Reference: Good Governance through Labour Administration and Labour Inspection – Final Evaluation.

____________________

12. Promote use of methodologies such as the Service Quality Check for Supporting Female and Male Operated Small Enterprises (FAMOS) or USAID’s Organizational Capacity Assessment Tool (OCAT) for organisation needs analysis and progress monitoring. The FAMOS Check is an organizational development tool that enables organizations that provide services to small enterprises to carry out a gender self-check to identify improvements in their operations, in particular in respect to the needs of women entrepreneurs.

References:

____________________

13. Encourage the establishment of local level (municipal, district) committees for citizens, the private sector and municipalities to engage in dialogue and collaborate on local economic development initiatives.

Reference: Social Impact, Inc. Corporate Office, 2011, Empowering Municipalities Through Local Economic Development (EMLED)

____________________

14. Ensure that projects are sensitive to the level of investment of local government that are needed to strengthen capacities of existing programmes and newly introduced programmes on the IE. Impact and sustainability may be negatively affected if this point is inadequately considered.

Reference: Typhoon Bopha Philippines: Application of Local Resource- based Employment Generation Approach

____________________

15. Build on existing traditional structures in communities wherever this is possible as it can contribute to appropriateness, motivation and interest of the community with regard to IE issues.

References:

____________________

16. Ensure that monitoring and evaluation of coaching and mentoring on IE related issues is result-based and well implemented. Ensure that coaching and mentoring is well organised and ensure that mentors:

Understand their roles
Can determine needs of learners
Are able to impart learning well.

Reference: The Feed the Future Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains Project (Malawi)

____________________

17. Promote capacity strengthening of ministries and other agencies to specifically support women entrepreneurship (including of women dependent on the informal economy) and advocate to make such development a priority.

Reference: Women’s Entrepreneurship Development and Gender Equality-Southern Africa- Final Evaluation

____________________

18. Include labour inspectors, labour officers and law enforcement officials in training and as actors on awareness raising of decent work conditions for people dependent on the IE.

Reference: Independent Final Evaluation Law-Growth Nexus Phase II: Labour Law and the Enabling Business Environment for MSMEs in Kenya and Zambia

____________________

19. Use experienced stakeholders from previous projects related to the IE to disseminate and replicate/scale up activities to new areas as opposed to implementing them only through provision of tools, guidelines, and training workshops at central level.

Reference: Independent Final Evaluation Law-Growth Nexus Phase II: Labour Law and the Enabling Business Environment for MSMEs in Kenya and Zambia

____________________

20. Raise awareness of stakeholders on basic capacity issues in organisational management so that they can assess their own learning needs. For example, when determining institutional training needs, stakeholders need to have a basic understanding of organisation management methods including on change management, knowledge management, stakeholders’ involvement, new opportunity development and how they work in their organizations on IE issues.

Reference: The Feed the Future Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains Project (Malawi)

____________________

21. Ensure that the use of tools and guidelines are adequately disseminated to project field offices for internal use and for capacity strengthening of local stakeholder partners on IE issues.

Reference: The Feed the Future Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains Project (Malawi)

____________________

22. Ensure that projects provide capacity strengthening of partners instead of micro-managing or taking over the roles and responsibilities of the partners when providing support to people dependent on the IE. Ensure that partner roles and responsibilities during implementation is clear and agreed upon.

Reference: The Feed the Future Integrating Nutrition in Value Chains Project (Malawi)

____________________

23. Ensure that certification of trainers trained through projects is implemented in a sufficiently timely manner to maintain their sense of motivation on providing support to people dependent on the IE.

Reference: SCORE - Sustaining Competitive and Responsible Enterprises, Final evaluation

SOURCE: RNSF research - Volume 4.2

RNSF - Management Information Tool

Table of contents