Case Study: LCapS Local Partner Census and OCA

Gérard Kessé Yessé and Issa Zerbo

Challenge: While the issue of capacity strengthening is critical to all projects, it is especially important in areas that may be regularly or periodically off limits for routine staff visits and supervision, as happened in Burkina Faso in July–August 2024.

Proposed Solution: To address this issue, ACSD: 1) co-identified a list of 12 qualified “regional focal points” with some of the other USG-funded initiatives and military governors in the eight regions with the highest concentration of USG-funded programming (conducted in each of the eight regions); 2) organized a three-day training of the 22 nominees in tools being used to conduct a baseline census of current, past, and potential USG local partners; and then 3) selected 12 of the 22 trainees to be regional focal points.

Opportunity: Despite a significant spike in civil unrest in 14 of the 17 regions in Burkina Faso (from June to September 2024), ACSD was able to complete the baseline survey that included 647 local groups as well as an OCA survey of 212 of the most viable partners in five months. The same focal points provided a mechanism for co-identifying (with local leaders and donors) the best candidates for follow-up training in the five key areas (financial management and reporting; good governance/leadership; human resources; inventory and procurement; MEAL) that the OCA identified as having the greatest needs.

Lesson Learned: Trained regional focal points can assist projects in conducting the types of baseline census and OCA surveys that are needed to identify viable local partners in fragile environments.

1.Mini workshop format that ACSD used to facilitate the 12 regional focal points conducting a participatory data clean-up and analysis of the LCapS OCA survey of 212 of the USG’s past, current and potential local partners that were identified by the baseline survey that collected data on 642 local group (October 2024) (Source : ACSD photo archives).

Mini workshop format that ACSD used to facilitate the 12 regional focal points conducting a participatory data clean-up and analysis of the LCapS OCA survey of 212 of the USG’s past, current, and potential local partners that were identified by the baseline survey that collected data on 642 local groups (October 2024). (Source: ACSD photo archives)

2.Hamadou Ag Hassane. ACSD Focal Point focal at Dori presenting to the group. Mr. Ag Hassane has over 10 years of experience working for donor-funded programming but remains living in Dori. His physical base in Dori enabled ACSD to continue to execute the LCapS surveys even after a firm travel ban on travel between Ouagadougou and Dori in 2004.

Hamadou Ag Hassane, ACSD focal point, at Dori presenting to the group. Mr. Ag Hassane has over ten years of experience working for donor-funded programming but remains living in Dori. His physical base in Dori enabled ACSD to continue to execute the LCapS surveys even after a firm travel ban on travel between Ouagadougou and Dori in 2004. (Source: ACSD photo archives)

3. In contrast to the conventional methodology for OCA surveys, the people involved in collecting the data (the 12 regional focal points) were intimately involved in data entry, data clean-up and analysis. This participatory approach enriched the final reports by encouraging the focal points to compare and contrast their experiences and to contribute new information and data that was not noted on the forms..

In contrast to the conventional methodology for OCA surveys, the people involved in collecting the data (the 12 regional focal points) were intimately involved in data entry, data clean-up, and analysis. This participatory approach enriched the final reports by encouraging the focal points to compare and contrast their experiences and to contribute new information and data that were not noted on the forms. (Source: ACSD photo archives)

4.Diarra Alimata Boly is the ACSD focal point in Dédougou.

Diarra Alimata Boly is the ACSD focal point in Dédougou. (Source: ACSD photo archives)

5.Adama Dicko, is the ACSD focal point in Ouagadougou.

Adama Dicko is the ACSD focal point in Ouagadougou. (Source: ACSD photo archives)

Photos of ten of the 12 focal points, the LCapS Director of Research (Gérard Yessé), and ACSD Co-Director (Issa Zerbo) at the end of the workshop that was devoted to the data clean-up and initial analysis of the OCA Survey (October 2024). (Source: ACSD photo archives)