On 1-2 March, participants from international and local foundations, the World Bank and government representatives met in Nairobi to explore common areas of interest and potential areas for collaboration around Kenya’s development agenda and the innovative work of foundations. The dialogue was structured to enable the World Bank and government representatives to learn how foundations are addressing such development challenges as good governance, youth empowerment, and gender and development.

The value in bringing together foundations and the World Bank lies in the potential for complementarity: the World Bank works primarily through governments and provides large-scale funding through loans, and to a much lesser extent through other channels like the private sector and civil society organizations. Foundations can provide funding directly to NGOs, and are known for their innovation and creative approaches to development challenges. They can take risks and build small-scale enterprises that contribute to achieving results at community level.

Three key areas were identified on which foundations in Kenya and the World Bank would work together: enhancing philanthropy by exploring how to create a better  enabling environment; increasing collaboration between the Bank, foundations and government in policy selection and implementation; and working together in some operational areas around youth empowerment and community-level health care.

The dialogue was organized by the World Bank’s Foundations Unit, and was co-chaired by Dr Colin Bruce, World Bank Country Director for Kenya, Somalia and Eritrea, and Dr Tade Aina of the Ford Foundation’s East Africa Office. Andrew Kingman of Allavida was facilitator of the dialogue.

For more information
Contact Eleanor Fink, Foundations Coordinator, World Bank at efink@worldbank.org