Welcome to CENFACS’ Online Diary!
15 May 2024
Post No. 352
The Week’s Contents
• Rebuilding Africa in 2024
• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 3: Stories of Designing Incentives and Understanding Interconnections (From Wednesday 15/05/2024)
• Activity 3 of Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty: Workshop on Biodiversity Offsets and Credits (From Week Beginning Monday 20/05/2024)
… And much more!
Key Messages
• Rebuilding Africa in 2024
CENFACS does not only work in bringing and lighting a Blaze of Hope for the victims of destructive wars, natural disasters and other major crises (like the coronavirus shock or the cost-of-living crisis). CENFACS takes the process of working with these victims further in helping them to overcome underlying poverty and hardships induced by these events as well as supporting them to build their future.
CENFACS works with them and or their representative organisations to alleviate poverty and hardships as the lack of hopes and expectations. In the process of relieving poverty as the lack of hopes and expectations, the next step or phase of our advocacy is Rebuilding or Renewing Lives. We call it Rebuilding Africa.
• • The Focus for This Year’s Rebuilding Africa
This year, our Rebuilding Africa advocacy will focus on Building Systemic Resilience with Communities and Africa-based Organisations. There are many ways of approaching systemic resilience, depending on systems theory one my use.
• • • Approaches to Systemic Resilience
There are various approaches to systemic resilience, but we are going to limit ourselves to the following ones.
Resilience will be viewed in the perspective of Ann Masten, quoted by ‘Justiceinspectorate.gov.uk’ (1). Masten defines resilience as
“The capacity of dynamic system to adapt successfully to disturbances that threaten system function, viability, or development. The concept can be applied to systems of many kinds at many interacting levels, both living and non-living, such as a micro-organism, a child. a family, a security/system, an economy, a forest, or the global climate”.
The same Ann Masten comments in her book Ordinary Magic Resilience in Development in 2014 that
“There is growing recognition that resilience in children is interconnected with the resilience of families, communities, governments, economies and ideologies”.
Systemic resilience will also be approached in terms of economics. Hynes et al. (2) provide the economics perspective of systemic resilience. They explain that systemic resilience can be achieved by design and intervention. Endogenous reorganisation in the economy is an example of systemic resilience, while systemic resilience by intervention is characterised by exogenous measures such as bailouts, stockpiles and building buffers.
Their resilience analysis with incorporation into economic systems can explain how Africa transfers resources between entities to protect itself from exogenous shocks and how Africa evolves and modifies itself over time in terms of self-organisation. As part of the need of Africa to organise itself, the United Nations Deputy Secretary-General (3) makes remarks that
“We need systemic reforms to a global financial architecture that today is not fit for purpose -and that remains too short-term oriented, crisis-prone, and fundamentally-skewed towards the interests of the rich”.
So, building resilience to climate shocks, taking systemic approach to reduce credit risk in the market, addressing systemic imbalances to improve representation in decision making process of the International Monetary Fund’s Special Drawing Rights, carrying systemic financial reforms to a global financial architecture, dealing with systemic challenges, building environmental resilience, etc. are all part of building systemic resilience in Africa. However, what we are concerned with is building systemic resilience with communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations.
• • • Building systemic resilience with communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations
Building systemic resilience with communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations will be about building systemic approach to or adapting our system of poverty reduction with both of them to any potential disturbances that may threaten this system.
Let us further explain the two processes of building systemic resilience.
• • • • Building Systemic Resilience with Communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs)
This first process of building systemic resilience will be based on the broad sense of systemic resilience. Resilience is perceived in the terms of Chris Park (4) as
“The rate at which a system regains structure and function following a stress or perturbation” (p. 380)
The same Chris Park explains systemic as
“Affecting or spread through the whole body (for example a plant or animal, not localised” (p. 443)
Building Systemic Resilience with Communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations (ASOs) will be about working with communities and ASOs to regain structure and function of their entire body following a stress or perturbation.
• • • • Building Resilience of Our System of Poverty Reduction with Communities and ASOs
The second process of building systemic resilience will specifically deal with the resilience of our system of poverty reduction.
Our system of poverty reduction is simply the collection of components that work together to perform function or produce poverty reduction. Poverty reduction is conceptualised as any effort deployed or action taken to cut down the state of not having or having little financial and material possessions. Our current Financial Resilience Programme for Households is an example of how we are trying to build and track resilience of our system of poverty reduction with the community.
In both building systemic resilience processes, we are going to use the three parts of systemic resilience as suggested by ‘practiceplan.co.uk’ (5). These parts are:
1) The responsibility of everyone in building resilience
2) The insurance that our interactions with others do not make life harder for them
3) Our contribution to other people’s resilience.
• • Where Rebuilding Africa Can Take Place
Rebuilding Africa can take place in any place in Africa that needs to be rebuilt or built forward. CENFACS‘ ASOs can be part of this rebuilding process.
There are ways in which ASOs can play their role in the rebuilding process as highlighted in the following examples.
Where countries are expecting that elections and strengthening of democratic transition will improve poverty reduction outcomes and impacts, ASOs can play a supportive role in making the voice of the poor to be heard.
Where countries came out of destructive natural disasters, ASOs can lend their hands to reduce poverty caused by climate-driven humanitarian crises and help the victims of natural disasters to rebuild their lives.
Where countries are undergoing peace transition after destructive wars, ASOs can assist in the making of this transition process just and sustainable.
Where countries are searching for way to remake themselves from the hunger brought by the cost-of-living crisis, ASOs can participate in this remaking hunger-free process.
The above examples indicate where rebuilding Africa can take place as well as ways in which ASOs can play their bit in the rebuilding process of Africa.
So, there are many places where rebuilding work is needed and where our ASOs can be part of this rebuilding work.
Further details about this advocacy work on Rebuilding Africa can be found under the Main Development section of this post.
• All in Development Stories Telling Serial 3: Stories of Designing Incentives and Understanding Interconnections (From Wednesday 15/05/2024)
Our two-story series reaches Serial 3. In this third serial, we are dealing with Stories of Designing Incentives and Understanding Interconnections.
Let us highlight each of these stories.
• • Stories of Designing Incentives
To understand these stories, one may need to know what incentives and incentive design are.
• • • What are incentives and incentive design?
The website ‘sahilbloom.com’ (6) explains that
“Incentives are anything that motivates, inspires, or drives an individual to act in a specific manner. They come in two forms: intrinsic (internal) and extrinsic (external)”.
As to incentive design, it is defined by M. Gunkel (7) as
“A careful process of crafting a system that connects performance measurement with performance rewards, with the goal of motivating employees to perform according to the expectations of the organisation…Incentive design is a means of aligning the interests of an organisation’s employees and owners”.
Although Gunkel speaks about employees and owners, incentive design can happen outside employee-owner or employee-employer relationship. It can happen in the context of families, households, communities, community groups, charities, etc.
If you are one of CENFACS Africa-based Sister Organisations, you may be aware of what to do when designing new incentives within your system in order for example rewarding those who produce or deliver poverty reduction outcomes.
If you are an individual or a family or a household making the CENFACS Community, you should also know that when you design incentive for others (like your family or household members) it is better to make sure that they are fairly rewarded in your system.
New incentives and incentive design can provide stories to tell.
• • • Stories of Designing Incentives
The histories of designing new incentives can be found everywhere there is any an effective incentive design plan.
For example, ‘cogentanalytics.com’ (8) provides ten keys to developing and implementing a successful incentive programme. From its ten recipes, one can extract the following types of Stories of Designing Incentives, which are those of:
1) designing solid metrics system that provides reliable quality and productivity data
2) basing the incentive on achieving specific cost goals
3) rewarding superstars or heroes and those who are improving
4) combining individual and workgroup incentives
5) frequency of incentive distribution
6) making incentive accessible
7) clarifying key performance requirements
8) explaining the formula determining access to incentive
9) seeking inputs in incentive plan
10) communicating incentive plan beforehand.
Briefly speaking, Stories of Designing Incentives are those of designing an effective incentive plan, of difficulty of incentive design, of implementing incentive system and of inherent problems with designing incentive systems. They are the narratives of measure or metrics which will enable to judge people, of target or level of the measure at which a reward or punishment will be initiated. They can also be the tales of cash incentives to save lives like in humanitarian relief mission, or financial incentives that can lead to long-term behavioural change and decisions (e.g., healthier decisions).
If you are a member of CENFACS Community and have these types of story, please do not hesitate to tell and share your stories with CENFACS. If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.
To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Designing Incentives, please contact CENFACS.
• • Stories of Understanding Interconnections
To tell these stories, it is better to know interconnection.
• • • What is interconnection?
Interconnection is “The fact or state of being connected or linked with one another”, according to ‘dictionary.com’ (9).
Whether it is about physical or virtual interconnection or interconnectedness, there are benefits for those connected to the system. One can think of how we are all interconnected through globalisation.
Speaking about the benefits of interconnection, ‘blog.consoleconnect.com’ (10) explains the following:
“The interconnection allows businesses to optimise the sharing of data and resources from multiple sources, including processing power, storage, and data archives”.
These benefits can be applied to other types of organisations like charities, community groups, voluntary organisations, civil society organisations and non-governmental organisations. Individuals, families and households can as well benefit.
Being interconnected provides stories to share. What are those stories to tell?
• • • Stories of Understanding Interconnections
They are the anecdotes of understanding key interconnections within a system and between systems. They are the stories of ‘holding things together’ and seeing connections. Interconnected issues (like poly-crises) pose problems to our system of poverty reduction. We need to able to see connections and hold things together.
The Stories of Understanding Interconnections are in fact those of
√ changing relations within and between human communities
√ changing relations with ecological and climatic conditions
√ shifts in technology-human connections
√ understanding risk mechanisms within a system and between systems
√ opportunity within a system (opportunity for cooperative solutions when we are working together) and between systems
etc.
For example, one may try to understand our financial or economic interconnection within our financial system and between real economy and financial economy. Without necessarily taking a Marxist line, one can use constructivist view to understand why and how capital or properties or wealth move from one hand to the other or between the same people not the poor. Likewise, one can try to understand how the systemic forces of poverty reduction work.
To sum up, the Stories of Understanding Interconnections are those of ‘holding things together’ and seeing/recognizing connections.
If you are a member of CENFACS Community and have these types of story, please do not hesitate to tell and share your stories with CENFACS. If you are not our member, you can still submit your story.
To donate, tell and share your storying gift of Stories of Understanding Interconnections, please contact CENFACS.
• Activity 3 of Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty: e-Workshop on Biodiversity Offsets and Credits (From Week Beginning Monday 20/05/2024)
Our work on scaling finance for nature and biodiversity will continue as we will be holding e-workshop on Biodiversity Offsets and Credits. To participate to this workshop, it could be better to carry out some preliminary research about the concepts of biodiversity offsets and credits. It means trying to understand what they mean.
• • Meaning of Biodiversity Offsets and Credits
The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (11) explains that
“Biodiversity offsets are measurable conservation outcomes that result from actions designed to compensate for significant, residual biodiversity loss from development projects. Biodiversity offsets are economic instruments and are based on the pollution pays approach. They aim to internalise the external costs of biodiversity loss from development projects by imposing a cost on the activities that cause adverse impacts to biodiversity”.
In short, the literature review on biodiversity offsets indicate that they are payments made by a business to compensate for its damaging impacts on location-specific ecosystems.
As to biodiversity credits, the World Resources Institute (12) defines them as
“An economic instrument that allow private companies to finance activities, such as forest conservation or restoration, that deliver net positive biodiversity gains”.
Both definitions will help in engaging workshop.
We can now state the aim of this workshop and what it will be based upon.
• • Aim of Activity 3
This is a course or work for those interested in biodiversity to study how organisations can engage and finance activities that deliver net positive biodiversity gains. The study or work is also an opportunity for them to dive deep into biodiversity offsets and credits as way of providing funding for nature protection and restoration.
• • What the e-Workshop on Biodiversity Offsets and Credits Will Be Based On
We will be e-working on the following points:
σ the inclusion of all players, especially indigenous people and local communities, not only conservation organisations and project developers in decision making process relating to biodiversity offsets and credits
σ biodiversity credits as a way of scaling up private finance for nature
σ the double counting problem in biodiversity finance
σ the role of voluntary biodiversity markets in mobilising capital
σ biodiversity itself as a market
σ ecosystem-related risks
etc.
For those who would like to engage with Activity 3, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
For those who would like to find out more about Nature Projects and Nature-based Solutions to Poverty, they can also communicate with CENFACS.
Extra Messages
• Story Submission and Permission
• E-workshop for Gamers of CENFACS’ Poverty Reduction League: Create a Poverty Reduction League Table
• CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum E-discusses a Just and Sustainable Transition in Africa
• Story Submission and Permission
• • Story Submission
How to make your stories reach CENFACS and others in the community
Before submitting your story, it is better to check our Short Story Submission Rules.
• • • Short story submission rules
Basically, these rules request any storyteller or giver to proceed with the following:
∝ Check CENFACS submission guidelines and deadlines
∝ Be mindful of CENFACS storytelling terms and conditions
∝ Include a short pitch of your story (approximately 32 words)
∝ Be concise and simple.
• • • Means or ways through which you can submit or donate your story
There are many means or ways in which you can submit or donate your story or impact story. In the context of this Serial 3, there are ways that one can use to do it, which include written text options, phone calls, audio storytelling and listening, short film experiences, and video options. Let us highlight each of these means.
• • • • Written text options
You can write your story in a textual format. You can use email, mobile phone, text messing system and CENFACS’ contact form; and send your story in the form of text. To do that, you need basic typing skills, not special skills.
• • • • Phone calls
You can call CENFACS and give your story via phone.
• • • • Audio storytelling and listening
You can use the capacity of audio to tell your volunteering story. Audio storytelling (with short digital narratives, podcasting, social media and online streaming) can help create and share the impact of the change you made or have made.
• • • • Short film experiences
You can make short films to support your storytelling experiences and create a social impact. You can make film on your smart phone with a video content. Shooting interviews with story participants can also help to create experiences that maximise social media and essential story contents.
• • • • Video options
You can use audio High Definition video calling (for example Skype video calls or Google Meet for video conferencing options) to tell and share you story with CENFACS and others.
If you are going to use video options, it is better to use a free option and non-profit programme, as they are accessible to everybody to join in with at home or wherever they are. By using this free option, you do not add any financial costs to anybody who wants to listen or follow your story.
Some of our users and members may not be able to afford to pay for some types of video options on the market. That is why it is better to use something which is accessible by the majority of people.
For the purpose of data protection, please use the security tips attached to your chosen option.
If you know you are going to tell your story via video calling or conferencing option or storytelling tools that are unfamiliar to the majority of people, and you want CENFACS to participate or join in, you need to let us know at least three days before your story calling or conferencing start so that we can plan ourselves.
You need as well to inform us about the date, time and possibly participants. You can email, phone, text or complete the contact form to let us know as we are busy like you.
If you have a story, you can tell and share with us and others via the above named means. And if you do not mind, we will circulate – with your permission – your stories within the CENFACS Community.
• • Permission to Share a Story with CENFACS
Generally, when we ask people’s stories, we also seek permission to share their stories. This is because telling us your story does not necessarily mean that you have given us the permission to share it. Your permission could be verbal or written.
We review the conditions of permission in the light of the law. Our story telling and sharing policy includes as well images or any infographics making these stories. Our story telling and sharing policy is available to story tellers on request.
To keep our Story Month within the spirit of this policy, we are dealing with copyright law, permissions and licensing in order to share your story contents. We are particularly working on copyright permissions that story donors need to give to us in order for us to share their stories.
Working on copyright permissions is about staying copyright compliant as far as permissions to share your story is concerned. In simple terms, it means we will ask you whether or not, you agree for us to share your story including imaging or infographic parts of your story.
We are as well responding to any questions linked to copyrights relating to sharing stories.
For those who may have any issues to raise with story telling and sharing in the context of CENFACS’ AiDS Telling and Sharing Programme, they should not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
• E-workshop for Gamers of CENFACS’ Poverty Reduction League: Create a Poverty Reduction League Table
How to create your African Countries’ League Table when gaming for poverty reduction
As part of CENFACS’ All Year Round Play Project (that is, CENFACS Poverty Reduction League), we can work together to support you (as a gamer) create your league table as you play. To create a league table, there are steps or tasks to undertake.
• • Process and Procedure for Creating a League Table
You can create a poverty reduction table showing the following:
√ Your selected African team countries
√ The number of criteria/indicators you can assess them against
√ The number of criteria/indicators any of them has passed
√ How many of them they average
√ How many of them they under-perform
√ How many of them they score against the opposition
√ How many of them they concede against the opposition
√ Points they earn or share for each game.
By systematically and continuously recorded the results, scores and actions of your game fixtures via this table, you will in the end know which African country that would best reduce poverty by the end of 2024.
To process and proceed with a league table, one needs to have some economic indicators as criteria for measuring the performance of each country making CENFACS’ League of Poverty Reduction.
• • Example of Poverty Reduction Indicators to Create a League Table
For example, those who would like to go extra miles in the workshop, they can work with us using classes of indicators (that is, input, process and impact) for monitoring and tracking the poverty reduction performance as provided by the World Bank (13). Poverty indices like headcount index, poverty gap index and squared poverty index can be utilised when dealing with your league table. They can also include rural terms of trade and unskilled wage index in their table.
To access this e-workshop and get the grips with skills and techniques to create your poverty reduction league table, just contact CENFACS.
• CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum E-discusses a Just and Sustainable Transition in Africa
As part of the dedication of 2024 as a Year of Transition within CENFACS, we are e-discussing the recent United Nations Economic Commission for Africa’s Economic Report on Africa 2024 titled ‘Investing in a Just and Sustainable Transition in Africa’ (14). In particular, we are e-debating the following two items, which can be found on page 22 of this report:
a) How a just and sustainable transition in Africa can prioritize prosperity and human development while respecting global resource and carbon constraints
b) How Africa can undertake the following systemic shifts: from a growth-centred to well-being-focused economy, from an extractive to a productive production system and circularity, from scarcity and excess to sufficiency, and from regulatory to collaborative governance.
Additionally, we are looking at the implications of the contents of this report for our system of poverty reduction. This is because the report contains a wealth of information for those working on poverty reduction and sustainable development issues in Africa.
The above two items, which are shaping the main line of thought for our e-discussion for this week, are open to anyone to join in. For those who would like to join in, it is advisable to first read the above-mentioned report. CENFACS’ be.Africa Forum would like to hear what you think.
Those who may be interested in this e-discussion can join in and or contribute by contacting CENFACS’ be.Africa, which is a forum for discussion on matters and themes of poverty reduction and sustainable development in Africa and which acts on behalf of its members in making proposals or ideas for actions for a better Africa.
They can contact us at our usual address on this site.
Message in French (Message en français)
• Le Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS discute en ligne d’une transition juste et durable en Afrique
Dans le cadre de l’année 2024 en tant qu’année de transition au sein du CENFACS, nous sommes en train de discuter en ligne du récent ‘Rapport Economique sur l’Afrique 2024’ de la Commission Economique des Nations Unies pour l’Afrique, rapport intitulé «Investir dans une transition juste et durable en Afrique» (14). En particulier, nous débattons en ligne des deux points suivants, qui figurent à la page 22 du rapport sus-mentionné:
a) Comment une transition juste et durable en Afrique peut donner la priorité à la prospérité et au développement humain tout en respectant les contraintes mondiales en matière de ressources et de carbone
b) Comment l’Afrique peut entreprendre les changements systémiques suivants: d’une économie centrée sur la croissance à une économie axée sur le bien-être, d’un système de production extractif à un système de production productif et circulaire, de la rareté et de l’excès à la suffisance, et de la gouvernance réglementaire à la gouvernance collaborative.
En outre, nous examinons les implications du contenu de ce rapport pour notre système de réduction de la pauvreté. En effet, le rapport contient une mine d’informations pour ceux et celles qui travaillent comme nous sur les questions de réduction de la pauvreté et de développement durable en Afrique.
Les deux points ci-dessus, qui constituent l’axe de réflexion principal de notre discussion en ligne de cette semaine, sont ouverts à tous/toutes. Pour ceux/celles qui souhaitent participer, il est conseillé de lire d’abord le rapport susmentionné. Le Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS aimerait savoir ce que vous en pensez.
Ceux ou celles qui pourraient être intéressé(e)s par cette discussion en ligne peuvent se joindre à nous et/ou contribuer en contactant le Forum ‘Une Afrique Meilleure’ de CENFACS, qui est un forum de discussion sur les questions et les thèmes de la réduction de la pauvreté et du développement durable en Afrique et qui agit au nom de ses membres en faisant des propositions ou des idées d’actions pour une Afrique meilleure.
Vous peuvez nous contacter à notre adresse habituelle sur ce site.
Main Development
• Rebuilding Africa in 2024
The following three sub-headings explain our advocacy about Rebuilding Africa in 2024:
a) Rebuilding as a Next Step after Bringing and Lighting a Blaze of Hope
b) Systemic Resilience Rebuilding Projects
c) Systemic Resilience Rebuilding Activities.
Let us briefly explain the contents of these sub-headings.
• • Rebuilding as a Next Step after Bringing and Lighting a Blaze of Hope
As argued in the Key Messages, Rebuilding is the next step in our process of helping in reducing the impacts and effects of war and natural disaster events or any other major crises or shocks. Saying that we are going to rebuild Africa, it does not mean that we are going to remake all the sectors of Africa from scratch.
Rebuilding in the context of our poverty relief work has to be placed in the perspective of working with and helping poor people and their organisations to overcome the ill effects of wars and natural disasters or any other major crises (like misinformation, disinformation, extreme weather events, and social polarization). It is down to Africans to rebuild Africa, not CENFACS. CENFACS as a charity just gives a helpful hand to them to reduce or better end poverty.
• • • What Rebuilding Africa is about
Rebuilding Africa addresses the legacies left by destructive wars and natural disaster events or any other major crises or shocks like the coronavirus and the cost-of-living crisis. Every year, many human and wild lives as well as other ways of life have been destroyed as a result of wars, armed conflicts, economic shocks and environmental disasters. These events often lead to humanitarian catastrophes, emergencies, contingencies, crises and responses.
What’s more, where there is destructive war, there is always a destruction of the environmental life. Examples of these Destroyed Lives are what happened in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in Chad, in the Central African Republic, Burkina Faso, Mali, etc.
Rebuilding Africa initiative is a response to these events by undertaking projects planning and development activity within CENFACS, with communities and in association with our Africa-based sister organisations.
What will Rebuilding Africa initiative will about for this 2024 year?
• • • Rebuilding Africa in 2024
Rebuilding Africa in 2024 will be about building systemic resilience with communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations. Let us explain below what we mean by that.
• • • • Building Systemic Resilience with Communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations
Building systemic resilience with communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations will be about building systemic approach to or adapting our system of poverty reduction with both of them to any potential disturbances that may threaten this system.
In the process of building systemic resilience, we shall have two types of building as highlighted below.
• • • • • Building Systemic Resilience with Communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations (BSRCA)
BSRCA will be based on the broad theme of systemic resilience in our process of Rebuilding Africa in 2024.
By referring to Ann Masten (op. cit.), this level of building systemic resilience is about working to adapt the capacity of dynamic system to disturbances that threaten our systems of poverty reduction and sustainable development.
By resorting to the model of systemic resilience in economics of Hynes et al. (op. cit.), BSRCA means working with both communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations on factors that underpin systemic resilience. Systemic resilience with them will be achieved by design and by intervention. We can endogenously reorganise our systems of poverty reduction and sustainable development; just as we can exogenously reorganise them via external intervention.
• • • • • Building Resilience of Our System of Poverty Reduction with Communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations (BRSPRCA)
BRSPRCA will specifically deal with the resilience of our system of poverty reduction (like financial resilience of our community members). Our current Financial Resilience Programme for Households is part of it. It means developing resilience-building initiatives or projects. Before looking at these projects, it is better explain projects planning and development.
In both building processes (BSRCA and BRSPRCA), we are going to use the three parts of systemic resilience as suggested by ‘practiceplan.co.uk’ (op. cit.). These parts are:
1) The responsibility of everyone in building resilience
2) The insurance that our interactions with others do not make life harder for them
3) Our contribution to other people’s resilience.
Let us now explain projects planning and development.
• • • What this Projects Planning and Development is about
Project planning can be approached in many ways. According to ‘coursera.com’ (15),
“Project planning is the second stage of the project management lifecycle. The full cycle includes initiation, planning, execution, monitoring, controlling, and closing. Project planning refers to the phase in project management in which you determine the actual steps to complete a project. This includes laying out timelines, establishing the budget, setting milestones, assessing risks, and solidifying tasks and assigning them to team members”.
In terms of Projects Planning and Development process within CENFACS, this process enables us to know the needs on the grounds and reach out to those in most need in Africa. It also assists to improve our way of doing development work, to rethink and exchange new ideas, avenues, approaches, theories and projects to systematically respond to the following:
√ New economic pressures and influences that can lead to the destruction of human and wild lives as well as other livelihoods or ways of life
√ New emerging threats and risks (like the coronavirus, geo-economic confrontation and the cost-of-living crisis)
√ New types of needs to systematically rebuild destroyed lives (including infrastructures) in Africa
√ Future risks and crises (including systemic risks and crises) that are likely to happen and to cause human sufferings or systemic impacts (like failure to climate change adaptation, societal polarization, biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse).
As the World Economic Forum (16) argues, alongside global risks, lie unique opportunities to rebuild trust, optimism and resilience in our institutions and societies.
However, we can only do it by undertaking planning and development. This planning and development process is within the context of enhancing our African Rebuilding and Sustaining Infrastructures and Lives programme. More details about this programme can be found from CENFACS.
Our Projects Planning and Development for Systemic Resilience Rebuilding contains projects and activities as follows.
• • Systemic Resilience Rebuilding Projects
Systemic Resilience Rebuilding Projects are systemic responses to assist in Rebuilding Africa in the Context of Fragile Economic Recovery to Reduce Extreme Poverty like at the moment. In this respect, projects planning and development for systemic responses include environmental and war events as well as near future risks and crises. In other words, we undertake projects planning and development linked to three events: wars, natural disasters, and future risks or crises.
• • • Project developments linked to environmental events
Project developments linked to environmental events are those dealing with the systemic nature of environmental risks and the cascading impacts of environmental disasters in Africa. They may systematically respond to the following:
∝ Short-term environmental strikes
(E.g., Recent deadly sea rise and landslides caused by historical rising water in the Lack Tanganyika in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo)
∝ Disasters linked to climate change cycles
(E.g., Lingering impact of floods in Burundi and prolonged and severe drought in Djibouti)
∝ Long-term environmental storms and catastrophes.
(E.g., The prospect for oil spills to poison agriculture, waterways, and the atmosphere with hazardous chemicals in oil exploiting African countries; the risk of freshwater sources to be contaminated in some parts of Africa by viruses, germs, parasites and pollutants creating water scarcity; the likelihood of further amplification of pressure on biodiversity because of continued deforestation for agricultural processes with an associated demand for additional cleared cropland, especially in subtropical and tropical Sub-Saharan Africa with dense biodiversity).
• • • Project developments linked to war events
Project developments linked to war events are systemic response to life-threatening and destructive impacts of open state of armed conflicts where there is great need of humanitarian assistance to save lives. These project developments may try to deal with the following:
∝ Short-term crises, and armed conflicts and disputes
(For instance, the propensity of escalation of conflict between state and non-state armed groups over territory and natural resources in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo leading to worsening humanitarian conditions and heightened regional conflicts; the intensification of violence and worsening of humanitarian crisis in the Sahel particularly in the tri-border of Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger)
∝ Wars linked to economic trends and business cycles
(For example, the possible geo-economic tensions between African Continental Free Trade Area and other trading blocs; the attempt of the United States of America to rival economic influence of China in Africa or the bid of Russia to curtail the French and British interests in Africa)
∝ Long-running and permanent wars and structural warfare.
(E.g., African State system as the underlying cause of systemic conflict, a system made of juridical statehood, neo-patrimonial politics and strained centre-periphery relations as described by James J. Hentz (17); the continuing deterioration of the conflict situation in Sudan with the possibility of long-running civil wars).
• • • Project developments linked to future systemic risks and crises
Project developments linked to future systemic risks and crises are those can address systemic imbalances and challenges stemming from dissymmetrical distribution of the catastrophic impacts of future risks and crises. These project developments may try to deal with the following:
∝ Natural disasters and extreme weather events leading to systemic conflicts (for example, climate change has led to the emergence of terrorist groups and conflicts in Africa)
∝ Infectious diseases (for instance, the emergence and re-emergence of infectious disease outbreaks like coronavirus, Ebola, cholera, dysentery, yellow fever, meningitis and other zoonoses that can contribute to morbidity and mortality)
∝ Natural resource crisis (such as rising prices of energy and food due to the Russian-Ukraine conflict; crop yields falling in volume and nutritional value due to heat, changing weather patterns, dry and wet precipitation extremes)
∝ Geo-economic confrontation or interstate economic relations fracture as a consequence of Russian invasion of Ukraine, which has partly led to the current cost-of-living crisis and the weaponization of economic policy between globally integrated powers
∝ Failure to mitigate climate change (for instance, to make less severe deadliest weather disasters in Africa)
∝ Failure to climate-change adaptation (e.g., as climate changes through time, there will be shifts to the distribution of insects, pests and diseases. Failure to adaptation by these organisms can make them have problems with their surrounding environments)
∝ Biodiversity loss and ecosystem collapse (for example, extensive farming techniques, fast urbanisation, infrastructural development and illegal trafficking pose threats to Africa biodiversity).
∝ Economic and financial crises (e.g., any crises arising from a sovereign debt default, currency free falls and collapse of output that can severely impact our users and ASOs).
Project developments linked to environmental, war and future events will be a process of projects planning and development that has a triple systemic response to environmental, war and future events for short, medium and long running crises. This planning will include also the organisation of specific activities to help the rebuilding process.
• • Systemic Resilience Rebuilding Activities
Systemic Resilience Rebuilding Activities are the tasks to be undertaking to help Rebuild Africa in the Context of Fragile Economic Recovery to Reduce Extreme Poverty. Rebuilding Africa in the Context of Fragile Economic Recovery to Reduce Extreme Poverty as advocacy includes four types of activities:
∝ Activities to end the bad past (or bad systems and structures) that led to the current crises (Advocacy to manage endings)
∝ Activities to manage just and sustainable transition (to turn endings to new beginnings)
∝ Activities to manage new beginnings
∝ Activities to manage the future.
• • • Activities to end the bad past (Advocacy to manage endings)
To build forward with communities and Africa-based Sister Organisations, it is better to successfully manage the end of or close any system that was not good. Systems can be reset. But, if a system is no longer fit for resetting purposes, then system change may be required. In other words, it is better not to return to or not to build back the systems and structures (e.g., endemic structural disadvantages and inequalities) that led to the current problems or crises.
However, building better is a backward and forward process. Even if one is in the process of building forward, they can still refer to the good things of the past to check if there is any link with the process of building forward. It is about curating your activities by leaving behind what did not work and taking forward what did work.
In this process of ending the bad past, we can refer to what Dr David P. Helfand (18) suggested in his book about career change. He outlined four coping mechanisms for coping with an ending, which include disengagement, disidentification, disenchantment and disorientation. These individual coping strategies can be extended to the area of dealing with endings of bad systems and structures that led to the cost-of-living crisis for many people.
For example, if one wants to rebuild Africa by ending the bad past of the cost-of-living crisis, they can break away from the context that brought it, look for a new self-identification, recognise disenchantment, and create a new vision and new orientation for Africa.
• • • Activities to manage just and sustainable transition (to turn endings to new beginnings)
Before highlighting these activities, let us briefly explain just and sustainable transition.
• • • • Just and Sustainable Transition (JST)
The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (op. cit.) provides two definitions of JST. The first definition comes from UNDESA (2023), which defines a JST as
“A process of transitioning towards a more sustainable society, economy, and environment in a fair and equitable manner”.
The second definition is from the African Development Bank, which explains JST in Africa as
“A process of improving the lives of the most vulnerable while building low-carbon, resilient economies”.
These two definitions will be taken into account in the design and implementation of the activities to manage JST.
Additionally, the activities to manage JST will include the three stages of transition as described by the Centre for Creative Leadership (19), which are:
“accepting the ending, living in the neutral zone and reach your new beginnings”.
These activities will help to turn endings to new beginnings.
To conduct these activities, we are going to look at transition cycle. We shall as well recall the Elizabeth Kübler-Ross (20) change curve; in particular where changes can be integrated in renewed individuals.
By referring to her model of change, we can argue that people have already accepted and integrated the cost-of-living crisis in their mind sets as the 1960s theory of the five stages of grief or model of change curve by Elizabeth Kübler-Ross tells us. We have accepted that change is inevitable; so we could now return to where we were before the cost-of-living crisis with changes rather than against them. We can now move on with change and transition.
These advocacy activities to manage just and sustainable transition will be based on wellbeing economy, inclusiveness and safety to manage the process of coming out the cost-of-living crisis.
For example, we can advocate with ASOs so that they are not left behind in Africa’s recovery efforts from the negative effects of the polycrises (i.e., the lingering effects of the coronavirus disaster, the cost-of-living crisis, climate change catastrophe and human insecurity). Our advocacy message could be that talks about financial recovery should include ASOs.
• • • Activities to manage new beginnings
The activities relating to the management of new beginnings will help to work with communities and ASOs to set up new goals, to identify opportunities and threats in the new development landscape (like the post-cost-of-living-crisis era). We shall work with them via advice, tips and hints to manage a new beginning.
For example, we can revisit ASOs’ mission and vision in the new era of post-cost-of-living reconstruction and in the Context of Fragile Economic Recovery to Reduce Extreme Poverty.
So, the activities to manage new beginnings will empower communities and ASOs to navigate their ways to improve in those areas where polycrises have brought a new window of opportunities and scope to learn and develop. It is an advocacy work to freshly start and plan future.
• • • Activities to manage the future
By using futuring and visioning methods, it is possible develop scenarios, horizon scanning and trend monitoring/analysis to help build forward better. These activities will enable us to better equip to minimise the likely harmful impacts of future systemic risks and crises. As Stephen Millett (21) puts it
“[But] building future planning into your everyday practices is not only vital – it’s eminently doable”
The activities will be conducted to help communities and ASOs to meet their goals of Build Forward Better Together to a Greener, Cleaner, Safer, Inclusive and Climate-Resilient Future’ within the context of Fragile Economic Recovery in Africa.
For any enquiries and queries about any of these activities, please do not hesitate to contact CENFACS.
For further details about Rebuilding Africa in 2024, please also contact CENFACS.
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• References
(1) Justiceinspectorate.gov.uk/hmiprobation/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2022/04/Academic-Insights-Chard-Systemic-Resilience/pdf (accessed in May 2024)
(2) Hynes, W., Trump, B. D., Kirman, A. et al. Systemic resilience in economics. Nat. Phys. 18, 381-384 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41567-022-01581-4 (accessed in May 2024)
(3) Ungar, M. 2028. Systemic resilience: principles and processes for a science of change in contexts of adversity. Ecology and Society 23 (4): 34. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-10385=230434 or https://www.psychologytoday.com/sites/default/files/ungar-systemic_resilience-ecology_society_2018.pdf (accessed in March 2024)
(4) Park, C. (2011), Oxford Dictionary of Environment and Conservation, Oxford University Press, Oxford & New York
(5) https://www.practiceplan.co.uk/blog/practice-management/hr-team-development/what-is-systemic-resilience-and-how-can-it-help-you-and-your-employers/ (accessed in March 2024)
(6) https://www.sahilbloom.com/newsletter/the-6-principles-of-incentive-design (accessed in May 2024)
(7) Gunkel, M. (2018). Incentive Design. In: Augier, M., Teece, D. J. (eds) The Palgrave Encyclopaedia of Strategic Management. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-00772-8_693 (accessed in May 2024)
(8) https://www.cogentanalytics.com/knowledge-center/strategic-planning-blogs/how-to-design-incentive-programme-that-work (accessed in May 2024)
(9) https://www.dictionary.com/browse/interconnection (accessed in May 2024)
(10) https://blog.consoleconnect.com/what-is-interconnection-and-why-is-it-important-to-enterprises (accessed in May 2024)
(11) https://www.oecd.org/environment/resources/Policy-Highlights-Biodiversity-Offsets-Web.pdf (accessed in May 2024)
(12) https://www.wri.org/insights/biodiversity-credits-explained (accessed in May 2024)
(13) https://documents.worldbank.org/en/publication/documents-reports/documentationdetail/27201468765605934/indicators-for-monitoring-poverty-reduction (accessed in May 2023)
(14) https://repository.uneca.org/bitstream/handle/10855/50162/612042717.pdf?sequence=1&isAllowed=y (accessed in May 2024)
(15) https://www.coursera.org/articles/project-planning (accessed in May 2023)
(16) https://www.weforum.org/publications/global-risks-report-2024/ (accessed in March 2024)
(17) Hentz, J. J. (2019), Toward a Structural Theory of War in Africa at https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/19392206.2019.1628449?journalcode=uafs20 (accessed in May 2023)
(18) Helfand, D. P. (1995), Career Change: Everything You Need to Know to Meet New Challenges and Take Control of Your Career, Careers Series/VCM Career Horizons, the University of Michigan
(19) Centre for Creative Leadership at https://www.ccl.org/articles/leading-effectively-articles/adapting-to-change-its-about-the-transition/ (accessed in May 2023)
(20) Kübler-Ross E., 1969: On Death and Dying, New York: Simon and Schuster, Inc.
(21) Millett, S. at https://www.triarchypress.net/managing-the-future.html (accessed in May 2023)
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