Southern African Political Parties and Dialogue Program

CHALLENGE

Southern Africa is a region with great potential, but it faces many critical challenges, such as water and energy insecurity that is exacerbated by climate change. Providing access to clean and sustainable water and energy resources is critical to efforts to alleviate poverty. Improving access to water and energy also is likely to improve health and education and increase economic development in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Greater engagement in policymaking by political actors as well as local communities is central to building sustainable and accessible national water and energy resource governance mechanisms. However, political actors and local communities lack enough knowledge, information, tools, and instruments to devise, implement and oversee policies to improve water and energy resource management in their respective countries and communities.

APPROACH

The SAPP&D Program, implemented by the Democracy Works Foundation, is a five-year, US$8 million project that seeks to strengthen the democratic structures and institutions of political parties in Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, and Zambia to better respond to and represent the needs of society, particularly in the areas of water and energy resource management. The SAPP&D Program also aims to contribute to the realization of the Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Strategy and Action, the SADC Regional Water Infrastructure Program and improved democratic governance in the region.

GOAL AND OBJECTIVES

• Strengthen participatory policy and platform development that accurately reflects citizen-identified needs to explicitly include access to clean water and energy and management of these resources
• Develop sustainable approaches to building the capacity of internal party structures and institutions that emphasize democracy, transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness
• Enhance a democratic political culture within parties that supports meaningful participation of women, youth, and marginalized individuals in policymaking and policy implementation processes
• Establish a regional network of political parties to share and support best practices, lessons learned, and knowledge about strengthening democracy

CONTACT DETAILS

Paula van Dyk: pvdyk@usaid.gov
Augustine Magolowondo: amagolowondo@democracyworksfoundation.org