Partnerships in IA - Session II, Presentation 5

Where Does a Good Partnership Start

Partnerships are not easy to start or maintain.But benefits of partnerships are so great that the costs are worth it.

Partnerships can maximise benefits, increase pace of change, avoid duplication, better risk management, access to specialist expertise and moving from philanthropy to having a impact.

Partnership process:

• Goal setting
• Identifying
• Building
• Planning
• Implementing
• Exit strategy

Can take 1-5 years to complete planning stage. It can take that long to build trust.

 

Focus on exit strategy and due diligence of the first four steps.

 

Starting with the exit strategy focuses the clients mind on what they would like to see emerge and fleshes out timelines and goals.

 

Goal setting:

Example: economic development, dang to being too broad a goal, trying to think outside the box of who could be involved e.g. Whole of region and Kazakhstan as a whole.

 

Identifying:

64 companies identified initially which were reduced to 34 companies which we talked on the phone and of these we met 10 face to face. This is resource intensive and need to be clear

 

Building and Planning:

• This can move the issues back to goal setting as issues emerge.

Partnership opportunities:

• Improving access to finance for SMEs (local bank, national enterprise development fund, local venture capital funds, EBRD)
• Building capacity of existing SMEs through training and business development services (donor funded)
• Facilitating local content development through 'establishment of enterprise zone' and relocation of existing under utilised SMEs (donor funded, ADB)

 

Moving the oil and gas project company move away from philanthropic activities to making a real positive impact.

 

Conclusion:

• Due diligence can help to develop better and more sustainable partnerships
• Be clear about each parties goals, interests and capabilities
• Be flexible and open.