| Abstract [eng] |
Master’s thesis title: Ownership or/and Dependency? EU-Funded Civil Society Projects in Africa and the Politics of Local Ownership in Development Cooperation The thesis examines the relationship between local civil society organisations ownership and donor dependency in EU-funded development cooperation projects in Africa. The research problem arises from the tension between donors’ stated aim of strengthening CSOs as independent actors and the risk that funding priorities, project procedures, accountability requirements and intermediary organisations may constrain local owneership. The aim is to assess how, and to what extent, project design and funding arrangements enable local CSO ownership while creating or mitigating donor dependency. The central research question is: How, and to what extent, do the design and funding arrangements of selected EU-funded civil-society projects in Africa enable local CSO ownership while creating or mitigating donor dependency? The study applies a comparative qualitative analysis of 10 projects supported by a structured scoring framework. It examines mechanisms related to priority-setting, decision-making, resource control, local adaptation, partnership, funding, projectisation and accountability. The findings show that ownership and dependency are not opposite ends and may coexist within the same project. Several cases demonstrate relatively high local ownership, yet none falls within the low-dependency category. Local CSOs often play meaningful roles in implementation and grant management, while strategic priorities, control over the main funding envelope and accountability systems frequently remain influenced by donors or intermediaries. The thesis therefore recommends greater attention not only to localising activities and funding, but also to transferring strategic and financial decision-making authority, supporting longer-term institutional development and improving transparency of project documentation. Its significance lies in showing that the key issue is not only how much funding reaches local organisations, but also how far decision-making authority comes with it. |
