LEAD Francophone Africa 2006 Highlights
Capacity building for LEAD Associates.
Given the constraint which was to finalise the first stage of the Project, LEAD FA recruited and secured the training of its cohort 12 with 36 new beneficiaries and hence bringing the number of Fellows trained by the Programme to 119, where 60 people were expected.
Two sub-regional sessions took place, one in Burkina Faso for West and North African Associates, one in the Republic of Central Africa for Central Africa Associates. Both of the above sessions addressed the major environment challenges of the continent.
They were followed by a regional Session whereby African Development challenges were dealt with and an Inter-cohort International Conference, the first of its kind. Fellows from LEAD AWA and LEAD SEA attended this International Conference opened to other LEAD Programmes. The opening ceremony of this event was chaired by Dr. Daniel Kaberuka, the Chairman of the African Development Bank. This regional institution imparted to the whole process whereby the issue of “Making Africa a Land of Opportunity” was addressed with contributions from others organisations like Upeace and NEPAD.
Sub-regional session for West and North Africa;
This session was held at Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) from the 3rd to the 19th of April and was attended by 16 Associates from: Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania, Senegal, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Côte d’Ivoire and Benin.
The major theme of this session was “Local, national and international answers to environment challenges” As a pre-assignment the Associates had to work together with the Fellows in their country in order to prepare an exposé on all the Multilateral Agreements on Environment ratified by their respective countries and to give details on the implementation process as well as the results achieved. In so doing they were well prepared with a sound background of the various conventions (Climate, biodiversity, desertification, energy etc) and discovered the opportunities as well as the fields where they could act as change agents. These issues were further developed with insightful contributions from the Associates who went further with skills modules on “Leadership qualities and teambuilding”, “Systems Thinking” and “Local Development Conventions”. For the field work they visited (i) the Water Basin of Burkina where a rice field is exploited by farmers and exchanged with them on the water management approaches and (ii) the “W Reserve Park” shared by neighbouring countries. This session was also the occasion for the Associates to be introduced to the research action oriented project. Prior to this session, the Associates followed online courses on “Environmental Science” and “Project Proposal Writing’.
Sub-regional session for Central Africa
From the 5th to the 21st June Associates of cohort 12 from Chad, Cameroon, Burundi, Central Africa Republic, Rwanda, Democratic Republic of Congo and Congo Brazzaville attended the sub-regional session of Central Africa. This is a twin session of the one held earlier in Burkina and covers the same themes and issues. The only difference is the site visits. For this session a timber industry was visited and on the way the impact of this unit on the population was assessed through discussions with local organisations and groups.
Regional session
This session was initially planed to be held in Algeria. Owing to a number of administration constraints, it was transferred to Tunisia and held from the 6th to the 15th of December 2007.
It was a gathering of all the Associates of cohort 12 and the occasion to cover the second part of the curriculum. The themes presented and discussed during this meeting were all related to “Development Challenges confronted by the African Continent” with the view to “Contributing to Make Africa a Land of Opportunity”.
The Associates were introduced to “The New Development Paradigms as an Alternative Approach”, “Integration Dynamics in the Continent” “Environmental Impact Assessment”, “Needs Assessment and Planning the case of the German ZOPP” and skill modules on “Intercultural Communication Applied to International Negotiations”, “Advocacy for Sustainable Development” and “Systems Dynamics Applied to Economic Development in Africa”. The Associates also had the opportunity to visit a textile industry and the International Centre of Environmental Technologies.
Capacity building for others
In line with the institutional support for the development of LEAD National Associations a series of capacity building sessions were held in West and Central Africa for Fellows as well as their other Association members.
Training of Trainers for National Association Members in Burkina;
To be efficient and cost effective, this session was held just after the sub-regional session of Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso) from the 20th to the 23rd April 2006. It was attended by two Fellows and five Association Members. The objective was to introduce them to facilitation techniques as well as Team Building. It was also an occasion to introduce the Information Learning Network, Local Integrated Information System (ILN/LIIS) partnership project with Capacity Building 2015 of the UNDP;
Training of Trainers for National Association Members in Bangui (Republic of Central Africa)This session organised in Bangui was attended by 18 LEAD CA. members and two LEAD Chad Members during three days just after the sub-regional session. i.e. from the 22nd to the 25th June. Just like the one organised in Ouagadougou, the objective was to introduce them to facilitation techniques as well as to teambuilding exercises. The Information Learning Network, Local Integrated Information System (ILN/LIIS) partnership project with Capacity Building 2015 of the UNDP was also introduced to them.
Training of Trainers for National Association Members in Senegal
The one in Senegal was attended by 20 participants most of whom are not LEAD Fellows but are change agents dedicated to sustainable development. The content of this two-day session was “Leadership and Team Building” and “Facilitation”. These modules are essential for the national Associations who will have to work as a team and also be able to facilitate LEAD skill modules and others in the future.
LEAD National Associations activities
LEAD FA National Associations have undertaken a series of activities ranging from awareness raising to the co-organisation of decentralised sessions. The network is also expanding with New Associations created in Burundi Guinea and Rwanda and prospects are in hand for the establishment of Resource Centres.
Achievements
LEAD Benin have been conducting a series of radio emissions and a documentary on health and sanitation with regards to market gardeners, workshops on recycling, held sessions within primary pupils on environment and sanitation.
Fellows and Association members of LEAD Burkina assisted LEAD FA in the organisation of the decentralised session held from the 20th to the 23rd April 2006.
LEAD Cameroon main activities during this year are: the follow-up of the conception of the booklet featuring Dr. Daniel Etounga-Manguelle as a LEAD FA Mentor. Their Members attended the Management Forum organised by the British Council. They offered trees as gifts and school stationery to the best pupils of the Club Environment of Awaé College (June 2006), organised a series of training sessions on leadership, project proposal writing and they are developing their Web site.
LEAD Mali has acquired a Resource Centre which is already operational. This Centre is providing Internet and telephone services, is used as the National Association’s office and training centre and a platform for exchange and knowledge management and information mutualisation.
LEAD Central Africa has been very active in policy dialogue and advocacy for disfranchised people and women in particular. This has been done through conferences, needs analysis for a project to support women market gardeners, radio & television debates during the World Peace Day and a number of training sessions on leadership, project proposal, teambuilding etc. With LEAD FA, they organised a session on Information Technologies for the media people.
LEAD Niger is busy working on the Access to Water Project to secure pupils school attendance. A similarly concern is addressed by a project with LEAD Chad where “Pupils’ Mothers Associations” are being assisted to facilitate young girls’ access and sound attendance to school. LEAD Senegal organised sessions as a side event to the Commemoration days of the former Senegalese President and world famous scholar, Leopold Sedar Senghor. They have also trained members of the civil society in IT.
ProspectsFour new Associations are being established in Burundi, Djibouti, Guinea and Rwanda. A Resource Centre is installed in Senegal and in the Republic of Central Africa. The objective of such Centres is to serve as a headquarter for the National Association, provide Internet services to grassroots, be a premise for training sessions, avail information on sustainable development etc. The prospect for LEAD FA is to assist all National Associations install their Resource Centres.
Partnership with other organisations;
With Capacity 2015 /ILN-LIIS project;
LEAD FA has entered a partnership with Capacity 2015 for a UNEP project entitled Information Learning Network: Local Level Integrated Information System. (ILN/LIIS).
The objective of this project is to create a platform for local development. The platform will provide:
• information, knowledge, and experience to support and facilitate local development processes drawn from lessons learned;
• capacity development framework focusing on empowering communities to make effective use of information and knowledge to improve the local economy and facilitate the provision of basic services;
• shared space within which development practitioners, civil society, and the private sector engage with local communities to create opportunities towards the attainment of the MDG targets;
• Framework for partnership, building synergy, and catalysing inclusive multi-stakeholder approaches to local development;
.
With Africable
Africable, is a 100% Afro-African television channel located at Bamako. It is affiliated to the Private Television Operator’s Associations and started broadcasting since June 2004 with coverage of more than 13 countries and 300 millions people. The partnership with this TV channel started with the preparation of the International Conference held in Tunis. In prelude to the International Conference, Africable produced and broadcasted a series of television spots on the stakes of such gathering. Moreover they covered the entire conference and ensured a number of emissions in the premises. LEAD FA plans to continue this partnership.
LEAD Visibility and communication strategies
For the visibility of LEAD, LEAD FA has conducted a series of activities through IT medium, participated to some events and published booklets on the Programme’s Mentors as well as reports on the achievements.
ICT as a mediumLEAD FA website has been continuously up-dated to show the activities already undertaken, current highlights as well as future events. With the same tool, virtual conferences have been conducted during major events such as the World Summit of the Information Society. List servers addressed to the African media is a means to disseminate LEAD activities as well as the forums of exchange dedicated to emerging sustainable development issues on the continent.
Almost all LEAD FA National Associations have their own Web page linked to LEAD FA and LEAD International. The one in Togo for example is delivering online courses for primary school pupils and college and secondary students. These Web pages direct visitors to both LEAD FA and LEAD International Web sites. A special Web Page entitled “Committed for Africa is also accessible and linked to LEAD FA and LEAD International.
Other Events
LEAD visibility has been enlarged during two meetings attended on Climate and Energy. The one was at Montpellier in France and was preceded by a virtual forum attended by many LEAD Fellows. The second was in Nairobi the prospect of which was to canvass for training sessions.
PublicationsThis year’s publications are mainly the illustrated report of the first phase of the project, booklets featuring the Programme’s Mentors and a bulletin of National Associations.
Plans for 2007 and Beyond
Future cohorts
LEAD FA plans to carry forward with the recruitment and training of mid-career professionals with reoriented objectives. Whereas up to now the aim was expressed in terms of number to be attained, the present objective is to nurture a network of change agents who will be securing developmental goals within their respective national LEAD entities.
The training will be ensured at three levels with strong emphasis on the skills modules and the use of online courses for knowledge acquisitions, basically for all that are related to environmental sciences (ecosystems, climate, biodiversity etc.). Such courses will be validated together with other identified local training needs by National Associations. For this purpose, two Fellows have already attended a Training of Training session and many others attended Facilitation techniques. Besides, other experts are available to conduct the training session in the meanwhile.
Skills proper will be enhanced during decentralised sub-regional sessions and the regional session.
LEAD National AssociationsLEAD National Associations (LNA) are supposed to adapt and replicate LEAD trainings in favour of grassroots, local authorities, civil society members, local community development organisation members and will ensure at national level all the necessary advocacy, lobbying and policy dialogue. The will be organising local sessions to prepare Associates for the sub-regional session and will assist, where necessary, LEAD FA in the organisation of sub and regional sessions.
LEAD FA plans to equip LNA with the relevant logistics for the installation of Resource Centres. Such Centres will be ensuring and not limiting their actions to
(i) offer Internet services to the public in large,
(ii) be a knowledge management and mutualisation tool,
(iii) an incubator of Income Generating Small Projects,
(iv) a training centre and the
(v) the office of the National Association.
Fee based training coursesSkills modules are being translated with the view to delivering short courses targeting the private sector. Once the expertise will be available, the National Associations will be delivering such modules at local level. LEAD FA will be delivering such modules at sub-regional level targeting sub-regional and regional institutions as well as private internationals.