RTI: We want to be where we can add value

Paul Weisenfeld: It's all about finding partnerships with key organizations on the ground

As RTI International pushes for even more localization in its development programs, especially in Asia-Pacific, how is that strategy working out so far for the organization?

“We want to be involved where we think we can add value,” Paul Weisenfeld, RTI’s vice president for global practices, told Devex President and Editor-in-Chief Raj Kumar in this video interview on the sidelines of the first Devex Partnerships and Careers Forum in Manila.

“It’s all about finding partnerships with key groups on the ground,” he said, and mentioned how countries like Indonesia and the Philippines are going to usher in a new area of projects being implemented by governments that now have the capacity to deliver results.

Wiesenfeld also chimed in on the importance of data and metrics — rather than glossy brochures — to evaluate programs, and how some local partners are still struggling with making their good intentions “scientifically rigorous.”

The RTI official gave the example related to improving nutrition habits to illustrate how the new development world requires implementers to analyze their own work, and determine what the costs and benefits to achieve the desired outcome.

Want to learn more insights from our interview with Weisenfeld? You can watch the full interview here.

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