Locally Led Development Champions: Shahadat Shakil and Antony Mukim
Strengthening Local Partner Capacity in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar District
Since joining USAID/Bangladesh in 2015, Sahadat Hosssain Shakil and Antony Mukim have prioritized locally led development (LLD) throughout USAID’s programming. Shakil defined effective LLD as “local communities handling local development challenges with their own capacities and locally available resources.” To this end, they have approached Local Works activities in Cox’s Bazar that focus on natural resource management with an emphasis on strengthening local partners’ capacity through mentoring.
The Cox’s Bazar district has faced intense pressure on its natural resources from its tourism industry and the dense refugee population since 2017. In this complex, high-stakes environment, Shakil and Antony have successfully shifted USAID/Bangladesh’s mode of operation to local leadership and decision-making through direct awards to three historical sub-awardees with nearly 20 years of technical expertise in the region. The team currently focuses on strengthening these local partners’ capacity to manage seven protected forests in collaboration with the Bangladesh government.
Antony emphatically proposed that “we need more local organizations implementing our activities. This is one of the best approaches USAID has.” For the USAID/Bangladesh team, the motivation to move awards to local organizations even goes beyond strengthening their alignment with USAID’s localization agenda. Shakil and Antony have experienced the local partners as more efficient and cost-effective than their international counterparts following capacity strengthening efforts. “We saw that if you mentor them well, you will get visible differences in outputs,” Shakil shared, which ultimately equates to better stewardship of US investments.
In tandem with the advocacy to shift awards to local partners, Shakil is sober-minded about the level of effort required. “The main challenge I see is that it takes time. Capacity strengthening and capacity sustaining in a meaningful way takes time.” Shakil and Antony encouraged others eager to shift to locally led development to plan for additional human resources, set realistic goals, co-define success with the local partner, and regularly renew their patience.
While both Shakil and Antony agreed there is an increased lift for their team in working with local partners, they emphasized that locally led development is an opportunity for investment, both in quality implementation, and in more sustainable, long-term results. Antony concluded, “With the local entities, they will remain in the same country. These local staff can use their knowledge and experience throughout the country, and the legacy that the activity left can continue on.”