Development professionals must prepare to work closer with businesses in the future as private sector investment becomes more prominent on the U.K. Department for International Development’s agenda, according to the chief commissioner of the Independent Commission for Aid Impact.
Graham Ward told Devex that heads of nongovernmental organizations could consider targeting funding applications toward DfID priorities such as the private sector, and emulate business leaders by staying in touch with beneficiaries — or customers — on the ground.
Ward’s comments followed a public debate on aid impact organized by the Africa Research Institute, where he outlined the areas on which the aid watchdog would report in future.