When it comes to localization, Ernest Wyson is both hopeful and hesitant.
Hopeful because the U.S. Agency for International Development wants half its projects to be community-led by 2030. And hesitant, because Wyson — who leads a coalition of 1,300 community-based organizations in Malawi — has heard USAID say this type of thing before.
In the middle of last year, USAID followed up on its promise of local leadership with a group of indicators to measure progress. While the metrics are new, the push for progress is not — and Wyson isn’t yet convinced it will all be translated into reality.