Using CLA to Reinvigorate Partnerships in Zambia: EDEV's Journey

Partnerships are central to how USAID approaches development. The Agency's New Vision for Global Development is increasingly stressing the importance of localization and private sector engagement. USAID/Zambia's Office of Economic Development and the Environment (EDEV) is adopting a more partnership-based approach to expand localization. As part of this initiative, the office implemented a Learning Agenda in 2021 that asks the most salient development questions impacting rural enterprises, the business enabling environment, and natural resource management. It ensures that USAID/Zambia will engage a broad set of local voices to steer those important discussions with clearly defined learning priorities and annual Learning Events.

The Learning Agenda helped EDEV, its implementing partners (IPs), and its stakeholders stay focused on priority questions through a complex period of change in Zambia punctuated by the COVID-19 pandemic, significant turnover in the office's portfolio, the remote start ups of new IPs, and the Government of the Republic of Zambia's (GRZ) peaceful transfer of power to the New Dawn administration. EDEV embodied two subcomponents of CLA: External Collaboration and Adaptive Management. For the former, EDEV engaged external stakeholders virtually and in-person by hosting its inaugural two-day Annual Learning Event in November 2021 that convened USAID/Zambia staff, GRZ representatives, academics, private sector participants, and civil society leaders. For adaptive management, EDEV promoted sequencing, layering, and integration (SLI) with team Champions and IPs having the responsibility to own questions in the Learning Agenda. This shared responsibility catalyzed IP-led discussions that explored how EDEV's activities could better integrate gender initiatives across conservation, nutrition, land, and economic growth programs.