Strategy Development and Operationalisation
Our strategy development and implementation portfolio cover:
- Developing new strategies
- Conducting strategy refresh
- Developing result frameworks and work plans
- Supporting implementation at the early stages, including building the technical capacity of staff/ teams as may be needed to deliver.
Our strategy development approach seeks to oversee a process of high consultation and collaboration, exploiting synergies while minimizing duplication. We are keen on creating a strategic plan that is fully owned, and which embodies the current trends in agriculture and related fields. Our experience has taught us that ownership of a strategy is critical to its successful implementation; and ownership does not happen if the strategy development is delegated to a consultant – as often happens. In order to create full ownership, we ensure that the strategic plan is co-created by a task team consisting of principal stakeholders of the institution concerned, supported by the external facilitating consultant team. Our process also consists of a combination of data/information analysis (internal & external) and the collation and synthesis of expert stakeholder opinions and validation to inform the strategy document.
Projects we have supported
a) Facilitation of the Centre for Tropical Livestock Genetics and Health (CTLGH) Strategy Retreat
Funder/Partner: CTLGH and ILRI
Geographical Coverage: Africa and Asia
Period of implementation: November 2019– January, 2020
Description: CTLG is a strategic alliance of the International Livestock Research Institution (ILRI), the Roslin Institute at the University of Edinburgh, and Scotland’s Rural College, formed to support programs that improve livestock-based livelihoods in the tropics. CTLGH was in the final stages of developing its Strategy with a goal to launch in it early 2020. The Strategy Retreat of CTLGH founders, funders, leadership and stakeholders was convened for the purpose of: ensuring alignment and ownership of the strategy by stakeholders, facilitating future-proofing of the strategy to ensure that it is addressing global livestock development and sustainability challenges, and obtaining final sign-off of the strategy ahead of its launch in early 2020. ECI-Africa designed and facilitated this process. Specifically: Review of the CTLGH strategy to inform the design of the meeting; Design the meeting in collaborating with CTLGH; Facilitation of the meeting; and Documentation and preparation of final report.
b) Development of the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB) 5-year strategic plan (2019-2023)
Funder/ Partner: African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF)
Geographical Coverage: sub-Saharan Africa
Period of implementation: April 2018 – Feb 2019
Description: ECI-Africa supported AATF in the development of a 5-year strategy (2018-22) for one of its flagships, the Open Forum on Agricultural Biotechnology in Africa (OFAB), to guide its strategic growth, expansion and effectiveness. OFAB was established by AATF in September 2006 as a partnership platform to facilitate regular exchange of credible information on agricultural biotechnology among stakeholders. The task was accomplished through a combination of data/information analysis (internal, within AATF, & externally) and the collation and synthesis of expert stakeholder opinions. ECI-Africa submitted the final OFAB Strategy 2019-2023 document to AATF on December 4th, 2018. The document highlighted the context and trends analysis of agricultural biotechnologies in Africa, and outlined the strategic direction including the vision and mission, the strategic thrusts and how the strategy will be operationalized.
Earlier – in 2011 (August-September) – ECI-Africa supported AATF and the International Service for the Acquisition of Agri- biotech Applications (ISAAA) to develop a 10-year strategic plan for the OFAB Kenya Chapter (2012–2022).
c) Strategy Development and Change Management for the Africa Women African Women in Agricultural Research and Development (AWARD) Phase 3
Funder/ Partner: World Agroforestry (ICRAF)
Geographical Coverage: Africa
Period of implementation: Oct – Nov 2014
Description: The objective of the assignment was to provide support to AWARD in the development of the third phase of their strategy. AWARD, which is hosted by ICRAF in Nairobi, works toward inclusive, agriculture-driven prosperity for the African continent by strengthening the production and dissemination of more gender-responsive agricultural research and innovation. The task involved designing and facilitating staff and stakeholder consultation processes to gather their input and buy-in into the strategy. The final document was informed by data collected from numerous consultations with agricultural research and development experts and partners around the continent as well as rigorous review of M&E data from the past nine years of the AWARD Fellowship. The strategy became operational in early 2017. Since then, AWARD has achieved many milestones in its programming. Implementation of the strategy is currently at about the mid-way point. In 2019, ECI-Africa was engaged to initiate a process of strategy refresh to identify areas that needed strategic rethinking. As a first step, we facilitated a brainstorming session with staff to gather their inputs on what has worked or not worked under the current strategy in four key areas: Geographical Mandate; Program Content; Institutional Arrangements; and Resourcing Options. The report of the brainstorming session was presented at the November 2019 Steering Committee meeting and further discussed. The report was be further distilled by the AWARD team and prepared in a form that can go into a refreshed strategy.
d) Development of Africa’s 10-year agriculture strategy
Funder/ Partner: IFPRI/Africa Union Commission
Geographical coverage: Africa-wide
Period of implementation: Jan 2014 – Dec 2015
Description of services: On account of the African Union Assembly of Heads of States and Government having declared 2014 the Year of Agriculture and Food security in Africa, a number of activities had been organized leading to the July 2014 Summit of Heads of State and Government focusing on agriculture and food security in Africa, and identifying actions to be taken towards leveraging agriculture to transform the lives of people. The occasion would also be used to mark the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Program (CAADP) since the Maputo declaration, where heads of state prioritized agriculture as the driving force through which African nations can develop. ECI-Africa was engaged to support the Africa Union Commission-Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (AUC-DREA) Secretariat and Technical Committee to facilitate a series of convening’s across the continent with public, private and CSO sectors as well as development partners. The initial engagement (2014) was to design and execute a series of continental consultative meetings leading up to and beyond the July 2014 Summit of African Heads of State and Government. Some of the activities also supported by ECI-Africa were: the CAADP Partnership Platform Meetings; a Special Meeting of the Agriculture Development Working Group Leaders & Agriculture Permanent Secretaries, and the Joint Conference of Ministers of Agriculture, Fisheries, and Rural Infrastructure; technical meeting on the development of the CAADP Results Framework; and a number of other technical convenings. The support included: developing background discussion papers; designing programs and key messages, developing agendas and event-processes, process facilitation of the main events, documentation of all these events; and subsequent write-up of synthesis reports, including the Implementation Strategy and Roadmap. Following the successful delivery of the 2014 assignment, ECI-Africa was invited to support another series of convenings including: the Gender Forum for Women in Agribusiness Workshop, The Third Agribusiness Forum, and the Permanent Secretaries Retreat on Malabo, the CAADP Results Framework development, the Continental Agribusiness Strategy, and the Specialized Technical Committee (STC) on Agriculture, Rural Development, Water and Environment.
Since then, ECI-Africa has continued to support and contribute to discussions on the implementation of CAADP. In 2016, ECI-Africa supported AUC-DREA to establish Malabo/CAADP Technical Networks by developing mechanisms and tools to support the development of specific content areas and providing training and technical advice to country and regional agriculture sector governance entities on policies, programs and practices that can accelerate the achievement of national, regional and continental agriculture production, productivity and food security goals related to Malabo and CAADP.
e) Development of the first strategy for the Partnership for Aflatoxin Control in Africa (PACA)
Funder/ Partner: Meridian Institute
Geographical Coverage: Africa-wide
Period of implementation: May – August 2014
Description: PACA is a collaboration that aims to protect crops, livestock, and people from the effects of aflatoxins by providing consistent coordination and coherent leadership to the efforts of aflatoxin control. This will aid in matters of food security, health and trade. As part of the actions to achieve its objectives, PACA intended to engage the many organizations working to control aflatoxin in Africa. ECI-Africa has supported PACA to facilitate the multi-stakeholder consultation process towards the development of a strategy for partnership in aflatoxin control. ECI-Africa also supported the design and execution of the October 2014 PACA Partnership Platform; and provided leadership and management mentoring of the PACA Secretariat Staff to be able to implement the strategy. The PACA Platform was designed to facilitate information exchange, increase coordination among partners, and provide a forum for stakeholders to contribute towards ongoing and future aflatoxin interventions across the continent. The PACA Platform Meeting targets agriculture and food security, trade, and health stakeholders to share experiences, identify opportunities and challenges and co-create solutions. This will inform not only the development of the PACA strategic direction, but will also help shape program contents of existing initiatives and provide opportunity for identifying areas for collaboration among stakeholders. ECI-Africa has continued to facilitate the Partnership Platform meetings which are held biennially – in 2016 and 2018.
f) Development and operationalization of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF) Africa Livestock Genetics Investment Strategy
Funder/ Partner: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF)
Geographical Coverage: Africa-wide
Period of implementation: 2012
Description: ECI-Africa supported the design, facilitate and document strategic planning processes, and undertake the writing of the livestock strategic plan.
g) Development of the Regional Centre for Research and Development on Endemic Ruminant Livestock New International Trypanotolerance Centre (ITC) Strategic Plan (2012-2022)
Funder/ Partner: ITC, Banjul, The Gambia
Geographical Coverage:
Period of implementation: March- Dec 2012
Description: The International Trypanotolerance Centre (ITC) is an independent, non-profit research body which was set up by The Gambia National to formulate, implement and introduce sustainable socio-economic and environmentally acceptable integrated packages at farmer level, for improved livestock health, production and exploitation. ECI-Africa provided support in the writing of its 10-year strategic plan.
h)The International Fertilizer Development Centre (IFDC) Strategy Mid-Term Review and Refresh
Funder/ Partner: IFDC
Geographical Coverage:
Period of implementation: September 2011
Description: IFDC focuses on increasing and sustaining food security and agricultural productivity in over 100 developing countries through the development and transfer of effective and environmentally sound crop nutrient technology and agribusiness expertise. ECI-Africa supported the design, facilitation and documentation of the strategy refresh workshop “Delivering on the IFDC vision in a dynamic environment: A mid-term review of strategy and implementation approach.”
i) Development of the African Wildlife Foundation (AWF) Agriculture Strategy (2011-2015)
Funder/ Partner: AWF
Geographical Coverage:
Period of implementation: July-December 2010
Description: In its efforts to protect the value of Africa’s wild lands, protected areas, and conservation zones, AWF trains farmers in practices and technologies to deliver higher yields, and provide climate-smart crops, tools, and know-how to transform their agricultural ventures and facilitate access to new markets. ECI-Africa was engaged to support AWF in the development of its 3-year strategy (2011-2015). Specifically, we carried out the design and facilitation of the AWF stakeholder consultation process, and the writing of the strategic plan.
j) Development of the Africa Union-Inter African Bureau for Animal Resources (AU-IBAR) 2010-2014 Strategic Plan and Continental Programme for the Development of Livestock in Africa
Funder/ Partner: AU-IBAR
Geographical Coverage: Africa-wide
Period of implementation: March-Dec 2009
Description: The AU-IBAR is one of the specialized technical arms of the African Union (AU) under the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture (DREA) with a mission to provide leadership in the development of animal resources for Africa through supporting and empowering AU Member States and Regional Economic Communities. AU-IBAR engaged ECI-Africa to support the development of its strategy. The envisioned strategy would recognize the need for IBAR to work through partnerships as well as the changing institutional landscape in Africa and globally. ECI-Africa designed and facilitated a strategy planning and writing process and proposed actions for operationalization of the strategy; and finalization of the strategy document following inputs from AU-IBAR staff. Subsequently (in 2013), ECI-Africa supported the development of a second strategy – through a ‘refresh’ process.
