NGO partnership and institutional development: Case studies from Mali and Niger

Partnerships between northern and southern NGOs are seen as an increasingly appropriate and effective tool by which to promote institutional development. This study draws on case study material from Mali and Niger to illustrate some of the means by which NGO partnerships promote institutional development as well as the potential and constraints that are encountered in the process. Fostering institutional development in the context of partnership needs to be understood in relation to historically-evolved state/society relations, regional economic and environmental constraints and the actual limitations of NGO interventions. For NGO partnerships to more effectively promote institutional development, greater commitment and specific resources will need to be invested in strengthening internal mechanisms of accountability, communication and learning, building inter-institutional linkages and improving the design of collaborative and funding programs that currently work against the cultivation of mutually-supportive partnerships and the development of viable national NGOs.