Nairobi, Kenya – How can governments, development actors, businesses, investors, researchers and civil society work together to create lasting impact in fragile and complex contexts?
This was the central question at Creating Shared Value: Scandinavia × the Horn of Africa, a cross-sectoral forum held in Nairobi on September 11th, co-hosted by VIEWS through the Department of Peace and Conflict Research, SomRep, World Vision and Tinkr. The forum brought together a diverse group of organisations to explore how cross-sector partnerships can move beyond traditional models of development cooperation and help scale solutions where they are most needed.
VIEWS Director of Operations and Outreach, Angelica Lindqvist-McGowan, joined a panel discussion on “Evidence to action – and action to evidence for adaptive programming”, alongside representatives from GRUNDFOS and iGravity, moderated by Tinkr’s Linn Tomasdotter. She highlighted the importance of bringing data, local knowledge and practical experience together. Data and analysis can help identify emerging risks and opportunities, she noted, but their value ultimately lies in how well they support decision-making and adaptation to realities on the ground. Making that connection requires partnerships that bring together different forms of expertise, while creating value for all those involved.
The conversation reflected a broader theme throughout the day: creating meaningful partnerships requires bringing different perspectives, expertise and capabilities to the table — and creating the conditions for these to work together.
Many thanks to World Vision, SomReP, Sida, Tinkr, Embassy of Denmark to Somalia, Embassy of Sweden in Nairobi and the Department of Peace and Conflict Research at Uppsala University for bringing the forum together, and to all participants for the thoughtful discussions.