REVITALIZING COMPAS AFRICA

 

 The COMPAS – AFRICA Network for Endogenous Development is a vehicle for promoting and facilitating community resilience and endogenous development in Africa.

 

The network has been in existence since 1996. Originally it was part of a global network consisting of the Asian Compas Network, Latin American Compas Network and European Compas Network. It was initiated by Prof David Millar, Ghana and European partners in Wageningen University.  The ETC Foundation of The Netherlands coordinated, managed, and supervised the network which enjoyed funding support from DGIS of the Dutch Ministry for Development Cooperation till 2010.

 

Network members started with conceptualising ED as concept and developed methodologies and programmes to meet their particular contexts. The Compas Africa Network focused initially on increasing agricultural production, gradually shifting to natural resources management and the use of local knowledge and resources.  Information from the old COMPAS Network was shared broadly and influenced many people. 

 

In July 2016 participants at the African Learning Institute in Techiman, Ghana reassessed the importance of the Compas Africa Network and came up with a strategy to revitalize the network.  Participants agreed the goal and objectives of the network would be:

·         to be a Pan-African Network promoting Indigenous Knowledge and Endogenous development for Community Resilience

·         to build capacity of network members to promote ED at local levels

·         to show practical experiences  and lessons of using African solutions for African problems  through documentation

·         to promote inter-continental cross-cultural programmes

 

A new organizational structure for the network was proposed and 15 participating organizations signed up to be members of the new Compas - Africa.

 

 

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