Rethinking Development: This Time Let’s Invest More in Local Leadership Development

 

EXCERPT:
The world today faces unprecedented polycrises–environmental shocks, political instability, economic volatility–all converging in ways that demand resilient systems built upon human capacity and collective leadership. Yet historically, our global systems, particularly foreign aid, have dramatically underinvested in local leadership and agency. For instance, in 2018, only $15.2 million of Official Development Assistance (ODA) was invested in leadership development, according to a study by the Boston Consulting Group, representing just 0.01% of the approximately $149.3 billion in total ODA for that year. This gap has left communities vulnerable, precisely when local agency is most needed to navigate uncertainty.

What if it had been different? What if, as well as addressing acute needs within low-income countries, foreign aid had over the past decades prioritised investing deeply and deliberately in cultivating the next generation of local leaders, such as educators, civic innovators, and public health professionals?

In this blog, Abigail Kajumba, Executive Director of Emerging Public Leaders, and Wendy Kopp, CEO and Co-founder of Teach For All, explore the impact of the people-first approach of investment on education and the public sector.