Stakeholder Participation for a better future – DLIST distance learning course

Posted Wed, 2010-06-02 11:10 by Frida Lanshammar

The distance learning course “Stakeholder Participation - for a better future” was first offered in October 2008 and has been very popular ever since the start. The course is now running for the fourth time with participants from both the ASCLME and BCLME regions and beyond. The participants are awarded a certificate after completing all assignments for the course.

In total, more than 35 people have taken the course and expanded their knowledge in stakeholder participation issues and shared their experiences with people from all over Southern Africa. The course participants come from a wide range of organisations such as local and national government ministries, universities and research foundations as well as consultancy firms and regional and local NGOs. So far participants from Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda Mauritius and Madagascar have completed the course. When registering for the course, each participant is asked to say why they want to join the course and the following represents some of these reasons;

“This course will assist me in better planning and stakeholder engagement, to be able to play a more active role in decision making processes”

“Normally projects do not take place in isolation and the course offers the opportunity to involve stakeholders at an early stage for a better future. I’m hoping that the course will open my mind to new knowledge and prepare me in taking informed decision to ensure a brighter future”

“Nothing can be done without stakeholders, so I expect this course to widen my knowledge on how to involve stakeholder in all development process. It is a way of making people feels the project or any undertakings are theirs”

The next round of this course will be starting on the 5th of July with moderation offered in both English and Portuguese. If you want to improve your ability to conduct stakeholder analyses, learn how to better engage stakeholders and how to work toward increased representation and ownership – please contact the course administrator Oriana Lemos at oriana@ecoafrica.co.za.

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General discussion

Dlist Module 2

by Mohamud - 2010-07-20 08:39

THIS Mohamud Hassan Ali, student from somalia that intersting SPP course, on comment regarding SP analysis is good to know that who is realy concerned SP, in order to identify existince for the future project and devolopment in the sector.

Stakeholder Participation for a better future

by Nsajigwa Emmanu... - 2010-07-21 15:20

Mahamud,
Do you mean SPSS as a statistical analysis parkage? Come again please.

Mr. Nsajigwa Emmanuel Mbije
Sokoine University of Agriculture
Faculty of Forestry and Nature Conservation
Department of Wildlife Management
P.O. Box 3073 Morogoro.

SPP or SPSS...

by Frida Lanshammar - 2010-07-22 07:55

Dear Mbije,
I think Mahamud refers to SPP = Stakeholder Participation, a bit of a strange abbreviation that is sometimes used. But maybe I am wrong here. Mahamud, maybe you have something to add?
Further I think Mahamud is very right in his comment, that it is very important to identify all the concerned stakeholders and make sure to involve them in the intended project. The people who are participating in the current stakeholder participation course on the DLIST forum are learning a lot about how to best approach stakeholders and how to make sure that people get involved and have their say in projects that affect their surroundings. The next round of the course will be offered sometimes in September, so those who are interested to know more about the course can contact Oriana Lemos at oriana@ecoafrica.co.za for more information.
We hope to see many of you, who didn't already complete the course, to join the next round.
Frida

Many questions about the course...

by Frida Lanshammar - 2010-06-04 15:40

Dear all,

It seems like many people are interested to know more about the course.

The course is available online on the DLIST portal (see: www.dlist.org). Interested parties are required to register by filling in a simple registration form. A fee of R200 will be charged to cover the costs of the course. If a prospective participant cannot afford the fee please contact the facilitator Oriana Lemos at oriana@ecoafrica.co.za. While there is free access to course materials only registered students will receive feedback and are able to participate in the discussion forum.

I hope this helps.

Frida

RE: DLIST ASCLME: Stakeholder Participation for a better future

by Francois - 2010-06-06 13:10

The Stakeholder Participation course is starting to show real results on the ground. I was so impressed when last Saturday I was on a site in Mauritius where I was able to see one of the earlier course participants in action during a community meeting. The Le Morne demonstration community faces huge issues like so m nay other communities in the Western Indian Ocean, but also in the Benguela current coastal areas. There is overfishing, brewing conflicts between resources users, lack of livelihood, and all sort of other pressures, including land-based pollution. Now this community is developing their own Local Economic Development (LED) Plan, which is increasingly attracting the interest from national government. Key to a good LED Plan is of course public participation. This not only means awareness raising in the community, but helping them to formulate their needs and aspirations, and to put forth these issues in the form of a plan that can be costed AND implemented. But making a good LED Plan means thatnot only the community has to be involved. Government has a big role to play. So does the private sector. All these interests need to be balanced with the carrying capacity of the environment and the limits of resource use very much in mind. So, the LED Plan can be described as government planning WITH the people, not only planning from one side. In the case of Le Morne the stakeholder participation course participant has now become a planner, a facilitator and a spreader of information at all levels. Congratulations Joanna Luis, and may your efforts pay off, both for the community and the environment. The health of one depends on the health of the other. In fact this example can help to inform other countries where demonstration sites will be implemented, including Angola, and I am glad to see that so many Portuguese speaking participants are lining up to do the course.

DLIST Agulhas and Somali