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1 Evaluation of ODA to CAPACITY BUILDING Graeme Bloch, Merle Favis and Jeets Hargovan /International Organisation Development/June 2000 DISCLAIMERDISCLAIMERDISCLAIMERDISCLAIMER This report was financed by IDRC as part of their aid programme to theGovernment of South Africa. However, the views and recommendationscontained in this report are those of the consultants, and the IDRC is notresponsible for or bound to the recommendations 2000 Evaluation of ODA to CAPACITY BUILDING Graeme Bloch, Merle Favis and Jeets Hargovan /International Organisation Development/June 2000 CONTENTS: CONTENTS: CONTENTS: CONTENTS:EXECUTIVE IStrategic Approach .. iiiNo blueprints ..iiiHolistic and integrated ..iiiHigh-level strategising in government.

2 IiiGovernment leadership ..ivTacking the racial issue in Capacity Building ..ivEngaging donors to build capacity ..ivInstitutional location of Capacity Building: DPSA ..ivSAMDI .. vLimited recommendations ..viRECOMMENDATIONS ..VIEnhancing IDC Capacity Building viHosting a summit of government departments .. viThe high-level integration of Capacity Building plans .. viiThe clarification of policy .. viiCreating a favourable institutional environment .. viiPromotion of a more activist role for viiCo-operation with DPSA and SAMDI .. viiiConsistent donor co-ordination in government .. viiiSectoral co-ordination of of Capacity Building at local government level .. viiiDeveloping practical instruments.

3 ViiiProper planning and management .. viiiA donor framework for Capacity Building .. ixDatabase and ongoing research .. ixM&E Tools to enhance donor ixJoint sectoral reviews .. ixCommon procedures and formats .. ixDonor reporting .. ix1 INTRODUCTION AND TERMS OF REFERENCE .. Background .. Development Co-operation Report .. 12 METHODOLOGY AND APPROACH .. Key challenges in implementing the study .. 33 CAPACITY BUILDING IN SOUTH AFRICA .. Definitions of Capacity Building .. The South African context .. Capacity Building and race .. Capacity Building and gender .. Transformation and Capacity Building .. Building endogenous capacities of local people .. The SA Management Development Institute (SAMDI).

4 104 THE QUALITY OF CAPACITY BUILDING Donor strategies, systems, capacities, Donor policies .. 12 Capacity Building is an increasingly significant feature of donor of ODA to CAPACITY BUILDING Graeme Bloch, Merle Favis and Jeets Hargovan /International Organisation Development/June 2000 Capacity Building has been conceptualised vaguely by donors ..13 Capacity Building is closely linked to public sector development programmes ..14 Capacity Building to address racial Building as inter-institutional support .. Capacity Building methodologies and systems .. Donor constraints .. 17In providing support, donors may overlook the lack of local absorptive time and framework constraints may be roleplayers may negatively influence the Capacity Building process.

5 17 The lack of donor co-ordination may create confusion and .. Government capacities .. Partnerships .. Building partnerships .. Sustaining partnerships through deliberate efforts .. Government underplays partnership Capacity Building Technical assistance (TA).. Inter-institutional relationships .. Twinning arrangements .. Structured internships .. Peer group Networking Sustainable training 37 JUPMET .. A note on NGO capacity building .. 405 RECOMMENDATIONS .. Strategic approach .. No blueprints .. Common guidelines .. Holistic and Integrated .. High-level strategising in Government Tacking the racial issue in Capacity Engaging donors to build capacity.

6 Institutional location of Capacity Building: SAMDI .. DoF .. IDC .. Limited recommendations .. Enhance IDC Capacity Building expertise .. Work with DPSA and SAMDI .. More activist role for IDC .. Ongoing co-ordination in Summit of government High-level integration of Capacity Building Policy Proper planning and Integrate issues around racial Donor Develop donor framework on Capacity Building .. Joint sectoral Database and ongoing Develop M&E tools to enhance donor Develop common procedures and Donor reporting .. 47 Evaluation of ODA to CAPACITY BUILDING Graeme Bloch, Merle Favis and Jeets Hargovan /International Organisation Development/June Local 476 REFERENCES.

7 487 APPENDIX 1: INTERVIEWS .. List of donor representatives interviewed .. National department Provincial/local interviews .. Other interviews .. 54 Evaluation of ODA to CAPACITY BUILDING Graeme Bloch, Merle Favis and Jeets Hargovan /International Organisation Development/June 2000 ABBREVIATIONSAUSAIDA ustralian Agency for International DevelopmentCIDAC anadian International Development AgencyCPFC ommunity Policing ForumDFIDD epartment for International Development United KingdomDoEDepartment of EducationDoFDepartment of FinanceDoLDepartment of LabourDPSAD epartment for Public Service and AdministrationDWAFD epartment of Water Affairs and ForestryEUEuropean UnionIDRCI nternational Development Research CentreGICDG auteng Institute for Curriculum DevelopmentGJMCG reater Johannesburg Metropolitan CouncilGTZG erman Agency for Technical Co-operationHODHead of DepartmentIDASAI nstitute for Democratic

8 Alternatives in South AfricaIDCDoF Chief Directorate: International Development Co-operationIPSPI ntegrated Provincial Support ProgrammeJUPMETJ oint Universities Programme for Management Education and TrainingLGTPL ocal Government Transformation ProgrammeLOGAML ocal Government Association of MpumalangaMECM ember of the Executive CommitteeNORADN orwegian Development AgencyNQF National Qualifications FrameworkODAO verseas Development AssistanceOECD-DACO rganisation for Economic Development Development Assistance CommitteePRCP residential Review CommissionRSAR epublic of South AfricaSASouth Africa(n)SALGAS outh African Local Government AssociationSAMDIS outh African Management Development InstituteSAQAS outh African Qualifications AuthoritySAPSS outh African Police ServicesSIDAS wedish Development AgencyUSAIDUS Agency for International DevelopmentEvaluation of ODA to CAPACITY BUILDING Graeme Bloch, Merle Favis and Jeets Hargovan /International Organisation Development/June 2000iEXECUTIVE SUMMARYEXECUTIVE SUMMARYEXECUTIVE SUMMARYEXECUTIVE SUMMARYC apacity Building is essentially about promoting the ability of government toperform its core delivery objectives, to implement successful programmes andto achieve its mandates in a progressively deepening and sustainable be effective.

9 Capacity Building activities must be fully integrated into theoverall objectives and plans specific to the delivery agency. While this will differin each context in accordance with various needs and phases ofimplementation, there are certain general rules. Capacity Building must occurwithin an institutional, organisational and individual human resource frameworkthat supports and reinforces the different dimensions. This is not easy toachieve: it requires an appropriate partnership between providers and recipientsthat will support a sound organisation development approach to CapacityBuilding; it requires commitment on the part of stakeholders and, importantly, the period covered by this study, Capacity Building emerged as beingintegral to the core challenge confronted by the South African government: thefirst three or four years reflected a primary concern with policy , towards the end of the first term in office, government began torefocus its efforts around effective and efficient delivery.

10 In the end, successfulimplementation requires capacity something that has been relatively deficientand fragmented in the South African are the circumstances into which Capacity Building ODA has entered study has set out broadly to evaluate the alignment of Capacity BuildingODA with the developmental and other needs of the government. Our concernhas been to capture the nature of the interface between government and thedonor community and what this has meant for the quality of Capacity Buildinginterventions. The report has identified four key interrelated factors that affectthe quality of Capacity Building programmes: Donor strategies, capacities and systems in respect of Capacity Building; Government capacity needs and systems; The nature of partnerships established between donors and government forthe purpose of implementing Capacity Building interventions; and The form assumed by Capacity Building Building has become an increasingly significant feature of donorstrategies in South Africa.