Rethinking Ownership of Development in Africa

Rethinking Ownership of Development in Africa challenges the conventional international development policies that call for more ownership from African stakeholders without questioning the implications of donor demands and historical legacies of colonialism. It illustrates how the ownership paradigm dictates who can produce development knowledge and who is responsible for carrying it out, with a specific focus on the health sectors in Burkina Faso and Kenya. The book makes an important contribution to critical development debates that question international development as an enterprise capable of empowering developing nations.

Format: Hardback
Length: 132 pages
Publication date: 20 August 2019
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Ownership of development in Africa is a complex issue that has been the subject of much debate in recent years. While the concept of ownership is often seen as a way to empower communities and promote sustainable development, it can also perpetuate the centrality of multilateral organizations and international donors in African development. In the context of todays development scheme for Africa, ownership is often considered to be the panacea for all of the aid-dependent continents development woes. Reinforced through the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD)s Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness and the Accra Agenda for Action, ownership is now the preeminent procedure for achieving aid effectiveness and a range of development outcomes.

Throughout this book, the author illustrates how the ownership paradigm dictates who can produce development knowledge and who is responsible for carrying it out, with a specific focus on the health sectors in Burkina Faso and Kenya. Under this paradigm, despite the ownership narrative, national stakeholders in both countries are not producers of development knowledge; they are merely responsible for its implementation. This book challenges the preponderance of conventional international development policies that call for more ownership from African stakeholders without questioning the implications of donor demands and historical legacies of colonialism in Africa. Ultimately, the findings from this book make an important contribution to critical development debates that question international development as an enterprise capable of empowering developing nations.

This lively and engaging book challenges readers to think differently about the ownership, and as such will be of interest to researchers of development.

Weight: 441g
Dimension: 198 x 129 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780367352905