Interfacing the State and the voluntary sector for African development: lessons from Kenya

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is to examine the possibility of forging a complementary role between the state and the voluntary sector as an alternative framework for enhancing African development, given that none of these actors have proved effective on their own. Using a study of community-based organisations (CBOs) – as a component part of the voluntary sector – in Western Kenya, it is argued that though these organisations have been instrumental in providing services that the state has been unable to provide, their effectiveness has been impeded by some deficiencies. It is pointed out that such deficiencies in CBOs should form the basis for bringing back the state in the development process and have it forge synergies with these organisations rather than co-opting them into its machinery, as has been the case in the past. L’objectif de cet article est d’etudier la possibilite de construire un role complementaire entre l’etat et le secteur du benevolat, en guise de cadre alternatif favorable au developpement africain, etant donne qu’aucun de ces acteurs n’est parvenu a produire une action efficace, chacun de son cote. Sur la base d’une etude des organisations communautaires (CBO) – en tant que composantes du secteur du benevolat – a l’Ouest du Kenya, l’auteur affirme que meme si ces organisations jouent un role cle dans la fourniture de services que l’etat est incapable de delivrer, leur efficacite a cependant ete ralentie par certaines lacunes. Les lacunes des CBO sont la raison pour laquelle l’etat devrait etre ramene dans le processus de developpement et amene a construire des synergies avec ces organisations, plutot que de les coopter dans sa machinerie, comme ce fut le cas dans le passe.

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