Comments

1. sara page says:

   January 5, 2010 at 9:02 am

   I appreciate DFID’s engagement with the following regional issues:
   - HIV Prevention- all southern African countries are facing the challenge of HIV prevention, care, treatment and support. Due to the connections between coutnries (with respect to mobility, trade,..etc)
   - Trade and south-to-south market development- this is an important area for DFID to support. There is alot of potential for trade and economic development among countries in southern Africa. Only that it needs increase in scale.
2. Tony Dykes says:

   January 15, 2010 at 6:03 pm

   Where the analysis says to have greatest impact this issue should be tackled regionally or a regional approach complements a national one. There needs to be a constructive dialogue between the national and regional approach.
3. Tony Dykes says:

   January 15, 2010 at 6:33 pm

   UK’s current engagement
   like- it is both national and regional, recognises there is or could/should be relationship between the two.

   Do differently
   It marginalises relatively small countries such as Swaziland which has highest rate of HIV in world, is a very unequal and divided country with real concerns about democratic practice and space. Yet it can only be dealt with through a regional programme therefore excluding Swaziland civil society.
   DFID, does not seem able to easily deal with inequality within countries.
   It seems to support “policy” civil society organisations which may be good but may not have a base. DFID does not seem to support groups which organise, mobilise, contest in support of their policy positions.
   DFID should do more to support such organisations- not just financially but involving in policy dialogue and discussion.

   Right priorities?
   Broadly yes. Growth needed but there has been growth and unemployment is still very high(jobless growth?) so a renewed and increased emphasis on creation of decent jobs.
   Land issue- both a colonial legacy never satisfactorily addressed and continuing major source of inequality.
   Gender and empowerment of women – is this coming through in DFID’s existing work in southern Africa?
   Role of private sector- it can contribute to growth and job creation (so could the public sector) also need accountability and transparency.

   Appropriate Partners
   Unclear who DFID SA see as their partners? Is it governments and organisations they fund?
   Partnership- different goverments, organisations, people sharing a vision and coming to-gether in shared endeavour to realise the vision. In which all bring something, all contribute and hopefully all benefit. Is this DFID SA’s real view of partnership?
   What of when partners differ?
   Perhaps think of partnership as a relationship- sometimes very strong and sometimes less so but needs to underpinned by the shared vision.
   DFID SA needs to recognise the existence of power in partnerships/relationships/ DFID SA has money,influence, access how does it use that?
   DFID SA should provide if requested support to regional trade union movement.

   Right modalities
   May require sustained commitment, willingness to provide multi-annual support to real or developing regional approaches and networks. May involve a willingness to experiment and recognise that not everything will work or succeed.

   RECs
   Be consistent in support but DFID SA needs to recognise that regional and pan African integration is currently largely a political initiative. There is potential for economic benefits but will this require transfer of resources? There is need to support great regional trade and reduce barriers to this. To support domestic investment and build up domestic markets.
4. Southern Africa Trust says:

   January 18, 2010 at 2:23 pm

   5. What criteria should inform decisions on which issues to tackle through a regional programme? What criteria should determine how those issues are approached?

    Regional dimension; sustainable economic development; poverty and inequality
    Ownership and prioritized by key stakeholders: government, civil society and private sector
    The degree of Implementation of agreed decisions, the success rate of regional programmes and impact on the population
    Programmes that will yield quick sustainable wins for the population i.e use of ICT in agriculture, health and education

   6. What do you like about the UK’s current engagement in the region?

    Consultative approach on regional issues
    Involvement of all key stakeholders: government, civil society and private sector
    Less bureaucratic and more flexible compared to others
    Very focused approach using reliable institutional mechanism
    Humanitarian support

   7. What don’t you like about the UK’s current engagement in the region? What could we do differently?

    Project/programme based funding as opposed to budget support
    Misalignment between regional and country support
   

   8. Are we focused on the right priorities in the region? Do you perceive any significant gaps in our current approach?

    Weak institutional and organisational support to key stakeholders – gap
    Consultative process can point to the right prorities

   9. Is DFID-SA working with the most appropriate partners to address the priority challenges of the Southern Africa region?

    Government, civil society and organised business – appropriate partners
    Regional bodies which are credible and efficient
    The pan African organizations may not have the required knowledge of the region and may not be effective vehicles for addressing its challenges.

   10. Are we using the right modalities for working with others? Are there other ways of partnering which would add more value at the regional level?

    Appropriate balance between service delivery and institutional and organisational development of partners
    Joint programming of support can be helpful
    Basket funding for development

   11. How can DFID best support the RECs to fulfil their potential as building blocks of regional and ultimately Pan-African integration?

    Support institutional and organisational development of RECs including key players in regional integration, in particular civil society and organised business
    Consolidate the different phases of sub regional integration from shallow to deeper integration
    Promote wider regional FTA ie common EAC, COMESA and SADC FTA that can ultimately lead to a common and unified Customs Union
    At the level of G20 promote such concepts for Africa
    Encourage the big corporates to put emphasis on developing the region through more FDIs