LDRI

We Are Here.

LDRI Logo

Local Development Research Institute is a nonprofit African think-tank that supports African Union member states in the pursuit of equitable local development on a continent where no one is left behind.

Local Development Research Institute is registered in Kenya as a non-profit organisation. We support the efforts of African governments and non-state stakeholders to achieve long term sustainable development. We do this by providing actionable insights and prototypes gained through studying the implementation and impact of international and national development initiatives and building capacity of stakeholders to improve public participation.

Working with both state and non-state actors LDRI will provide technical and technology support to those who work on policy development and implementation as well as those who work in oversight of their implementation. LDRI actively works towards bringing African expertise on decentralisation, public participation and the use of data to support the means of implementation for Africa’s development agenda; from the Common Africa Position on Post 2015 to Agenda 2063 and the national longterm development plans of member states.

Through instruments like the African Charter on Statistics we will support the technical aspects of policy development that ensure Africa’s development agenda is implemented through evidence-based, inclusive, equitable and rights-based approaches. Through the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance we make sure that progress in development is safeguarded by improvements in governance and strengthening of institutions with the mandate to oversee proper implementation. Through the African Charter on Shared Values & Principles on Decentralisation, Local Governance and Local Development, we find the legitimacy to speak to sub-national governments and assemblies and to coordinate efforts to network them for peer learning and implementation of good practice.

LDRI’s approach aims to provide these actionable insights and immediately implementable technologies/skills so that our partners working in political parties and parliaments, statistics systems and those working on national planning can give citizens voice and bring greater accountability to governance on the continent.

From 2015 to 2017, LDRI will work towards influencing policy in three areas:

  1. Gender equality and women’s empowerment, especially ways in which member states measure progress and how they institutionalise capacity to do so.
  2. Public participation in resource allocation and management for poverty eradication.
  3. Data for Development, especially harmonisation within and between governments for better comparability and how it is shared with the general public to facilitate public participation in development.

We are building partnerships with institutions passionate about Africa and its people and we look forward to being part the continent’s story of progress.