Accepted Paper
Paper short abstract
This paper explores the institutional agency of indigenous women-led organisations in Kenya, Namibia, Nigeria and Uganda. It examines the power dynamics between funders and beneficiary institutions and the implications this has for long-term development benefits and transformation for women.
Paper long abstract
The power imbalance in international politics has undoubtedly permeated the international development ecosystem. The question is: Are recipients of development assistance in the Global South trapped in the neo-colonial establishment? The intersection of race and gender within the discourse suggests that the politicisation of development assistance may worst hit women-led organisations in Africa. Thus, the dynamics of global development need to be probed to uncover the power-play between the rich Global North and developing countries in the southern hemisphere who are forced by their poor socio-political and economic circumstances to go cap-in-hand seeking foreign development aid to support even the most basic human development programs. Sadly, the current political landscape of countries of the Global South projects an image of dis-solidarity, desperation, and vulnerability, which is a breeding ground for gross inequality in the negotiations surrounding aid administration. This paper, therefore, examines the practice of grant-seeking and making within the backdrop of the current political and socio-economic context within which Indigenous Women-led Organisations (IWLOs) in Africa operate. The article further dissects the power dynamics and the long-term benefits of development assistance. Interviews with decision- makers of IWLOs in Africa and women of African descent employed by donor agencies in the Global North answered two key questions:How can IWLOs advance their visions/missions under covert or overt donor agendas and remain true to their causes and stakeholders? How can aid administration to (women) beneficiaries in the Global South be more equitable, non-predatory, and transformative?
Grassroots agency and power: Reimagine solidarity and decolonisation [NGO in the Development SG]