The NGO Regulatory Authority (NGORA) says it will conduct a capacity gap assessment to identify key challenges facing the sector and enhance the sector’s capacity to enhance the implementation of the NGO Fund.
Speaking during a lunch meeting with NGOs at BICC in Lilongwe, NGORA Chief Executive Officer Edward Chileka Banda said there is need to make interrogations to understand the sectors contributions.
“As an NGO sector we want to interrogate if we are making a bigger contribution or achieving results in the sector and helping our communities change, because there is funding in billions coming in the sector. If our communities are not changing there must be questions and one of the question that we picked that needs to be addressed is the issue of capacity building. Government through NGORA has commissioned a capacity gap assessment to make sure we prioritise what capacity issues we need to address,” he said.
Banda added that there is no sustainability of projects, saying once a project comes to an end there is no continuity because of capacity challenges.
Meanwhile, Robin MacGregor a consultant being supported by the British High Commission to work with NGORA on the capacity gap assessment said local NGOs are a vital part of the civil society and they will be carrying an assessment to look at its strengths and weaknesses in order to strengthen the civil society.
“Capacity building is vital many people refer to the weaknesses in general for civil society but what we want to know is exactly the issues that are required when international donors for example, are looking for and saying we need to create capacity in the local NGO sector. We want to be specific of what that means so that we are building capacity in the right areas that donors are looking for,” he said.
Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Richard Hara said the meeting was important because it was creating a platform for NGOs to showcase the gaps that are there and how they can be addressed.