Reflections on VakaYiko’s first year. Engaging with government institutions in Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe

VakaYiko is a consortium of partners

Abstract

This report seeks to reflect upon and document the ways in which the VakaYiko consortium has sought to establish and maintain engagement with government institutions at different levels in Ghana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. The report begins by examining VakaYiko in context, outlining the factors that facilitated the creation of the consortium and the rationale behind the decision to implement projects in Ghana, South Africa, and Zimbabwe. It then looks at the consortium’s experiences in engaging with government institutions – firstly by examining the broader collaborative approach adopted by VakaYiko, secondly by discussing both the successful and unsuccessful approaches to initiating and maintaining engagement, and thirdly by exploring the benefits and drawbacks to engaging as part of an international consortium. It closes by concluding that although there were many approaches that worked only in a specific context, there were also broader themes such as sustainability, collaboration, and contextual relevance that were pertinent to the success of most approaches in all three countries.

Citation

Suliman, S. Reflections on VakaYiko’s first year. Engaging with government institutions in Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe. INASP, Oxford, UK (2014) 17 pp.

Reflections on VakaYiko’s first year. Engaging with government institutions in Ghana, South Africa and Zimbabwe

Published 1 January 2014