Government officials, especially in young democracies often make policy pronouncements at public gatherings e.g. political rallies, funerals and ceremonies. These pronouncements, often populist become government position, but are never officially documented. They are often carried by the media. But depending on the editorial spin (hostile or friendly) are interpreted differently by those who listen and are affected. Is it an omission that these official do not want to document their policies? Maybe, but it is possible that this is intentional - in-case the policy does not work!. Then you will hear "I never said it" or more shrewdly "The media took me out of context". Undocumented policies are a source of poor coordination, conflicts and confusion!
I recently attended the ground breaking ceremony for Zimbabwe’s first solar mini-grid in Matabeleland South. More than six million people in Zimbabwe have no access to electricity. 87% of rural households are not on the national grid. Thus this ceremony was a momentous occasion for the funders (EU, OFID and GEF), the implementing partners (SNV, Practical Action and Dabane Trust), government ministries and the community. African governments need to promote investment in the renewable energy sector. This may include:
· Setting renewable energy targets · Opening up the energy market · Incentivising investments and uptake of renewable energy e.g. favourable feed-in tariffs · Set standards for renewable energy technologies Yesterday I visited a farmer who is being supported by an international NGO on a poultry project. Apparently the farmer had invested his own resources to construct a large fowl run, but when the NGO came to assist they gave him some materials to construct a "standard" fowl run. They insisted that the materials they were bringing should not be used to finish the existing fowl run but construct a stand alone fowl run!. He was told "the donor wants to see where his materials have been used so you cannot mix it with other materials". I asked him if he was going to use the smaller fowl run. He said "Yes until the project is over"! We should strive to make AID effective by exploiting synergies between different actors including the efforts of those we seek to aid.
The other day I was attending the launch of the Zimbabwe Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey report when I was jolted out of my comfort zone. The presentation on the nutrition indicators surprised me. The presenter explained that stunting is the body's response to a lack of nutritious food as it emphasize on the body's vitals at the expense of bodily growth.I then realized that i had never looked at my children's growth records. I subconsciously assumed this is my wife's duty. But when I checked the records i realized one of my daughters was bordering on the lower extremes. If I had checked the records regularly I would have been more proactive. In our largely patriarchal society where men are heavily involved in household decision making, it is important that they analyse their children's growth patterns. I suggest a Father's Day at the Well Child Clinic!
Opening up seed markets to integration can increase the regulatory burden if the market is already strictly regulated for quality and variety. This is the case for maize and tubers (especially Irish Potatoes) in Zimbabwe. Integrated seed markets involves promoting both formal and informal systems of availing seed. Calls for interrogation are premised on the fact that access to seed for smallholder farmers in remote areas is difficulty and often not timely. This is one maker cause of low productivity. However, critics often associate integration with promoting infomalization. My worry is the regulatory burden that comes with integration.
Sometimes the least knowledgeable person is the one who makes the weightiest decision. Most project management structures especially those formed around consortia have three main levels of project management. At the bottom is the Project Implementation Unit comprising those who are actually doing the work like M&E Officers, Finance Officers, Extension Officers and the project manager. A level higher is the Project Management Unit made up of project leaders from the participating consortium partners. At the highest level is the Project steering committee. This committee is usually made-up of consortium partner directors or their designate. The paradox is that the people at the top of the hierarchy have the least level of effort on the project. This mean that their level of focus is not as good as those in the structures below them. However, they are the ones who have to make the weightiest decisions. To make this paradoxical structure work, there has to be an effective information sharing mechanism.
Several participatory approaches to livelihoods barrier assessments have been developed. This is yet another tool that may be useful. Most communities know bananas and eat them. But the yellow rind is a barrier to the nutritious stuff inside. The peeling process represent removing barriers. So during a PRA session you can demonstrate using a real banana. Break it from the link to the main stem. This is the root cause of the problem (In a participatory manner - One hand holding the bottom part and the other the top part). Peel off each barrier to development/livelihoods one by one. Let the group name the barrier as you peel!
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