MANILA — More than 2,000 nongovernmental organizations are registered in the Asian Development Bank’s consultant management system. But in 2017, only 15 consultancy contracts were awarded to NGOs. Add in the projects in which subcontracts were awarded to NGOs, and the total hits 24.
These numbers tell a very bleak picture in terms of the scale of NGOs’ engagement with ADB when it comes to business opportunities. And it raises the question of why?
There are many factors involved. But one of the main reasons that emerged during the ADB’s business opportunities fair last month is NGOs’ general lack of awareness and information when it comes to ADB processes and ways of working. Take, for example, NGO entry points for funding. Traditional bilateral donors often have specific funding facilities or special funds for civil society. But ADB doesn’t have one.