Seeking capacity development results

This case study examines a capacity development programme titled “The Economics of Adaptation, Water Security and Climate Resilient Development in Africa,” which ran from January 2013 to November 2015. The initiative aimed to equip senior government planners in eight African countries with the skills to integrate climate resilience into national investment programmes and establish professional networks.

• The programme targeted senior government planners and decision-makers across eight countries: Cameroon, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Tunisia, Rwanda, Burundi, Zimbabwe, and Mozambique. On average, each country had 12 planners and five senior decision-makers participating. While planners were the primary focus, decision-makers provided essential support and now serve as entry points for future climate work within their respective governments.
• A central component of the programme was the Action Plan, an assignment developed by planners in collaboration with their home institutions. These plans linked learning processes to organizational responsibilities, involving participants in report writing, research applications, curriculum development, and policy reviews. This approach bridged the gap between theoretical training and practical implementation.
• The programme utilized a mentor-mentee structure, formalized by a "Mentor-Mentee Agreement" that defined cooperation and meeting schedules. This relationship provided a platform for continuous learning outside of formal workshops and improved the quality and focus of the participants' Action Plans.
• To foster cross-country learning, the programme established 12 online Pan-African discussion groups (six in English and six in French). These forums allowed participants to discuss shared professional interests and challenges, such as managing climate change effects on water quality and allocating water among competing demands.
• The programme produced several concrete outcomes, including the integration of the capacity development curriculum into training institutions in Ghana and the inclusion of climate change in Tunisia's national standard Terms of Reference for water and land planning studies. In Mozambique, participants successfully submitted a project proposal for urban flood management in Maputo, which received funding from the African Water Facility. In Burkina Faso, participants identified and proposed ways to bridge water security gaps in the National Adaptation Planning (NAP) process document.

APA

Sandström, K. (n.d.). Seeking capacity development results. Climate and Development Knowledge Network. https://cdkn.org/story/capacity_development

Chicago

Sandström, Klas. Seeking capacity development results. Climate and Development Knowledge Network, n.d. https://cdkn.org/story/capacity_development.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sandström |first1=Klas |title=Seeking capacity development results |publisher=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |url=https://cdkn.org/story/capacity_development |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sandstrmndseeking, author = {Sandström, Klas}, title = {{Seeking capacity development results}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, url = {https://cdkn.org/story/capacity_development}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }