“It Would be Great to See an Example…” Collaboration Between International NGOs and National Knowledge Institutes in Six African Countries

Abstract

Collaboration between international development NGOs and Africa’s national knowledge institutes, particularly universities, is receiving increasing support from global policy-makers and donor agencies. In spite of this, little is reported about the practice of such collaboration. This paper helps fill this lack of knowledge. It shares findings from a research project by a consortium of four international NGOs exploring the potential for collaboration with knowledge institutes in Burundi, DR Congo, Liberia, South Sudan, Sudan, and Uganda. The findings are based on analysis of interviews with NGO managers in these countries and on subsequent interviews by these NGO managers of staff in national knowledge institutes. The views of the NGO managers regarding collaboration lean towards scepticism, in keeping with the limited literature on the matter. However, after interviewing staff in the knowledge institutes, the NGO managers did find potential for collaboration based on personal relations and meeting both parties’ more immediate interests.