Investing in capacity development: towards an implementation framework

The achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and other international and national development targets in developing countries hinges on capacities of individuals, organisations and societies to transform in order to reach their development objectives. Without supportive strategies, policies, laws and procedures, well-functioning organisations, and educated and skilled people, developing countries lack the foundation needed to plan, implement and review their national and local development strategies. Capacity development helps to strengthen and sustain this foundation. This paper defines capacity development; outlines its objectives, fundamental principles and the key areas of capacity deficits; and proposes and discusses a basic framework for developing countries to adopt for investing in the development of national capacity. The implementation framework proposed is developed based on a critical assessment and analysis of capacity development and its results in developing countries drawing from the author's experience in implementing capacity development projects. The findings indicate that investing in capacity development must now become a critical aspect of development policy in developing countries. In fact, national capacity development strategies are emerging in several countries to underpin development plans and poverty-reduction strategies. In pursuing capacity development, developing countries must also ensure that such initiatives are comprehensively designed to be simultaneously related to change and transformation at the individual, institutional and societal levels. Investing in capacity development means not only to train individuals, but also to help developing countries to build up self-sufficient institutions and an environment where individuals can serve the needs of their countries. Moreover, such initiatives are likely to be more successfully implemented if done through semi-autonomous entities and taking into consideration that the type of knowledge required to develop capacity in developing countries is locally determined and not easily transferable from developed countries. Donor agencies must accept this reality and tailor their capacity development assistance accordingly.