The Turin 2009 Learning Link Session 4.2. Presented by Capacity Development and Results (WBI) Day 4 - December 10

1. Improving Support for
Capacity Development
Centres of Excellence
December 10, 2009
Samuel Otoo, Manager, Capacity Development & Results, World
Bank Institute (WBI)

2. There is a growing interest among development
partners to form better partnerships with
regional and country institutions to increase
the scale and results of capacity
development.
This includes institutions in the South, but also
Northern partners interested in supporting
institutions in the South.
Need for an effective strategy to
work with partners for more
scaled-up results in countries

3. The focus is increasingly on strategies that engage champion
institutions, such as networks and organizations in the
South:
Regional and country institutions that are or have the
potential to become focal points, multipliers, leaders or
facilitators of capacity development
Local institutions that could drive and own local results and
scale-up efforts
Such institutions have been refer to as centers of
excellence or CoEs, but this concept needs more thinking
to explore how it could be developed as a strategic
practice.
Concept of a CoE as a strategy – under
development

4. Evolution of WBI’s thinking on capacity
development

5. Need for more scaled-up and long-lasting results across
regions and countries
Better partnership with country and regional institutions, as
well as more coordinated approaches among donors and
knowledge partners
Move from training to capacity development work often
means more diverse activities and more types of local actors to
engage
Local partner institutions can often best adapt development
knowledge and learning to meet local realities
Demand for stronger country and regional institutions
Limitations of our staff and budget (need for sustainable
approach!)
WBI’s renewal – Some issues for
consideration related to the development of
CoE concepts and strategic practices

6. A discussion to
◦ Propose the concept of a center of excellence or CoE as a
strategy that meets a critical need for scaled-up results and
strengthened capacity development work by regional and
country institutions
◦ Explore how to translate this concept into a strategic practice
Why this discussion?
◦ More understanding on new and emerging ideas related to
CoEs as a means of achieving capacity development results at
scale
◦ Identify practical suggestions for translating these concepts
into new strategies, programs and projects
◦ Recommendations for the strengthening of regional and
country institutions’ capacity development work and results
Session overview – informing an
emerging strategy