Building Partnerships for Development in Water & Sanitation "Programme for Partnership Practioners in West Africa"

The Developing Partnerships in Practice: Programme for Partnership Practitioners in West Africa is a programme of Building Partnership for Development in Water and Sanitation.

BPD is a non-profit membership organization run by a multi-stakeholder Board of Directors, Building Partnerships for Development in Water and Sanitation (BPD) works with strategic partnerships involving government, business, civil society and donors to improve access to safe water and effective sanitation in poor communities. Taking the lessons learned from these strategic partnerships, BPD promotes dialogue around institutional approaches for serving the poor, a more realistic understanding of multi-sector relationships, and the development of broad-based support for appropriate environments that enable partnerships to thrive. Through the development of a set of analytical and facilitation tools, BPD aims is to influence the way organizations work together in partnership.

The objectives of the training programme is to build awareness of available knowledge and resources about partnerships in water and sanitation; build and develop practical partnering skills; and support the application of skills and knowledge to current partnering challenges.

Participants are drawn from various water and sanitation sectors across the Africa countries (Ghana, Nigeria, Malawi, Cameroon, Liberia and Burkina). The 5 days training course from 15th – 19th June 2009 at the Erata Hotel in Accra gave opportunities for networking and experience sharing among the participants; and visitors from Water AID Ghana, UNICEF, Denmark Government Representative, Directorate of Utility in Ghana and the NGOs Coalition on Water and Sanitation.

The topics covered includes Developing an Enabling Environment for Partnership, Active Listening, Mapping Incentives, Plotting Incentives, Assessing Partnership Effectiveness, Partnership Accountability, Partnerships & Culture, Sanitation Partnerships, Community Engagement in Water & Sanitation Partnerships, Partnership Governance, Interest-Based Negotiation/Conflict Resolution, Exit & Transition Strategies and Facilitation Skills.

Making an Impact as a Global Changemaker

A Changemaker is a young activist operating through a range of national and international networks, who is able to influence his or her community as well as speak to authority with confidence and passion. Changemakers are not afraid to challenge either accepted ways of thinking or their convictions. Changemakers are forward looking; they take their ideas and put them into practice. A Changemaker accepts difference, is flexible, is able to take on new ideas and skills and will communicate them to others.

Becoming a Changemaker takes longer than one or two weeks: participants have to be prepared to commit to the programme for longer - but in return, the British Council commits to the Changemakers. The engagement may take a number of forms: for instance, taking part in regional or global think tanks, participating in awareness-raising campaigns and developing and running community projects on their return home. These projects will be supported by the Global Changemakers team, by country offices and by partner organisations.

Akeju Olukemi Abimbola as Global Changemaker participated in the just concluded African Youth Summit in Cape Milner Hotel, Cape Town South Africa from 2nd – 7th June 2009. The summit was powered by the British Council, Switzerland. The summit attracted about 70 young social activists representing different continents all other the world but with the highest delegation from the Africa Continent.
Olukemi had the opportunity to represent all the delegates on South African National Radio Station and the South African Broadcasting Corporation {SABC} to speak on the British Council Global Changemakers Initiative, Youth Participation, and Leadership Challenges in Africa.