Interview with Kobena Hanson, IDEV Principal Evaluation Capacity Development Officer

 

1. Tell me about one of your recent memorable capacity development experiences

A recent capacity development experience was the 2021 gLOCAL Evaluation Week celebration, where IDEV and APNODE (African Parliamentarians’ Network on Development Evaluation) teamed up with Speakers and Members of Parliament from across the continent to dialogue on issues of using parliamentary oversight tools and techniques to combat the canker of corruption. I deem it memorable because the event was very informative, engaging and generated lots of valuable insights on good examples of fighting corruption taking place across the continent. The distinguished panelists were both knowledgeable and provided nuanced insights into what their respective parliaments are doing in this regard. The subsequent engagement with the audience was equally meaningful and poignant.

2. What do you do before developing any capacity development activity?

Prior to the onset of any capacity development initiative, I ensure to consult as widely as possible – mindful of the adage that knowledge is like a baobab tree, and no one can embrace it all.  Deepening capacity development involves augmenting skills and knowledge through training, providing technical advice, and enhancing genuine community engagement in all aspects, from planning to on-the-ground action. Thus, I believe that capacity development should foster the transfer of technology and technical capacity, social cohesion within communities, as well as the development of human and social capital. Capacity development therefore should be premised on the principles of trust, reciprocity, and norms of action and should manage the often-adversarial relationship between those perceived to “know” and those who “do not know.”

3. What should a capacity development manager avoid doing?

Capacity development practitioners and managers alike need to avoid assuming that a one-size solution fits all problems. Rather they need to embrace the use of good-fit approaches – which take into account the local context of the capacity development need or initiative. The good-fit approach attempts to narrow the gap between expectation and reality with regard to the capacity development intervention, aiming to deliver improved outcomes through incentive-compatible entry points and institutional designs. Implementing a good-fit approach therefore involves tailoring one’s intervention to the national context and developing an incentive structure that supports and nudges stakeholders into making developmentally oriented decisions.

4. How can we strengthen capacity development?

Traditional approaches to capacity development tend to narrowly focus on strengthening the skills of individual officials. But emerging approaches emphasize addressing capacity at the levels of individuals, organizations, institutions, policies and the whole society. When viewed in this way, strengthening capacity development entails improving the set of systemic attributes and human capital resources that enable individuals, organizations, and societies to sustainably articulate and realize their developmental goals, building on their own resources. For key actors and stakeholders on the continent, emphasis should be placed on advancing the capacity to actively engage with each other, share experiences on what worked, what did not and why. At a more generalized level, there is the need to strengthen the capacity of higher education and training institutions to enable them to deliver the requisite skills for all and to raise the skills base of the national workforce.

5. How do you think capacity development will evolve? What changes will we see?

 The future of capacity development, particularly as it relates to trainings and continuous learning, enhancing individual and institutional capacities, and creating an enabling environment will continue to evolve as people and societies confront emerging challenges, new technologies, and complex issues. What trajectory the future of CD takes, is hard to predict. However, regardless of setting, there will need to be a rethinking and redoubling of efforts by Africans to advance leadership capacity, as well as individual and institutional capacity, to tackle emerging issues and challenges, and more importantly pursue a “good fit” rather than a “best practice” approach to the management and transformation of the continent’s future development objectives. I say so because, while capacity development does not solve challenges directly, it plays an integral role in the process by enabling stakeholders to apply their skills and resources to tackling and resolving challenges and confronting the rise of a  ‘new normal’ such as the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

6. What do you like the most in your job? 

The thing I like most about my current position is the invaluable opportunity it offers to interact, exchange and learn from colleagues and a host of development practitioners from across Africa and beyond. The AfDB is a grounded organization and IDEV is equally dynamic in its work and stakeholder base – giving me the opportunity to learn and broaden my horizon. The comradery and team cohesion have been equally beneficial. As ECD focal person, I also get to handle and respond to diverse requests for support and/or collaboration from internal and external actors, which in itself keeps me constantly aware, and actively engaged with the literature and practice of evaluation capacity development.