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The second Eastern Africa national seminar of ODI's new Civil
Society Partnerships Programme's (CSPP) Regional
Consultation in Southern Africa was held in Kampala on
the 25th February 2005, in collaboration with the Food
and Agriculture Research Management (FARM-Africa). The
seminar provided a forum for representatives from policy research
institutes and non-governmental agencies to discuss the opportunities
and challenges for CSOs to use evidence to inform policy,
learn about the latest worldwide research and practice in
this area, share experiences about ongoing activities and
identify opportunities for collaborative work.
More than fifty participants representing CSOs, national
government organisations, bilateral and multilateral development
partners and the media attended the seminar.
A case
study by FARM-Africa (powerpoint 176kb)
highlighted how the CSO has targeted policy through:
- Use of contact farmers and private service providers in
offering agricultural extension services;
- Promoted commercialisation of agriculture in line with
the Government of Uganda policy of Plan for Modernisation
of Agriculture (PMA); and
- Targeted poverty reduction by targeting and empowering
farmer groups in decision making.
It was however noted that FARM-Africa has not done much in
line with active advocacy on policy issues using research
information as it is a relatively new CSO. However, there
was indication that after consolidation of the project and
a greater realisation of their legitimacy, the future plans
include a detailed analysis of the household assets in order
to have a baseline against which future achievements can be
gauged. This will generate data that can be used effectively
for policy development.
A case
study by National Agriculture Advisory Services (powerpoint
49kb) (NAADS) illustrated how CSOs have been actively
engaged in offering advisory services under NAADS. It was
noted that several NGOs, especially in Kampala City, have
been engaged in identifying gaps in the NAADS programme and
advocating for policy change. The CSOs' efforts are evident
in many reports, however there is no evidence to show that
this has caused change in policies.
Presentations were also made on the 'Role
of research-based evidence and CSOs policy processes'
(Powerpoint 483kb) (Julius Court) and
on 'ODI's
CSO Partnership Programme' (Powerpoint
500kb) (Kate Bird).
Participants observations included the following:
- Sometimes politicians challenge the legitimacy of CSOs
to question policies. It was noted that there may be a need
to package the advocacy messages properly so that they are
more acceptable to politicians. The policy advocates also
need to be carefully selected, based on their skills and
areas of expertise.
- The need for CSOs to create partnerships was emphasized
because there is strength in numbers.
- The CSOs indicated the need to build their capacity, especially
in research and advocacy skills so that they can be more
effective.
- The CSOs were also challenged to empower communities to
demand for services so that they can eventually demand the
formulation of policies appropriate to their needs.
- The participants also appreciated the importance of knowing
the policy processes so that they target the right people,
with the right messages, using the right approach and at
the right time.
- Resource mobilisation was also indicated as a major step
in the policy change process, however the resources should
be used effectively to avoid waste and duplication of efforts.
- Participants noted that the impact of their efforts is
often not realised because they lack success indicators.
It was agreed that indicators should always be developed
at the design stage so that they can later be used to track
achievements and to record milestones.
- Monitoring and evaluation was also noted as essential
in the policy advocacy process.
The government appreciates the CSOs' efforts in improving
policy processes, however, information dissemination and effective
communication may need to be strengthened for a better working
relationship.
Click on the links below if you would like further information.
- Full Seminar report:
- Programme (with links to powerpoint
presentation slideshows)
- Background information materials provided to participants:
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