Africa: Partnerships Between Government, Business and Civil Society Are Often Tense - 3 Tips On How to Manage Them

What the report says

The Conversation Africa, published via AllAfrica, says partnerships that bring together government, business and civil society often run into tension because participants may agree that a problem exists but disagree on the solution. The article uses the Southern Africa Food Lab, which has convened businesses, farmers, government and community groups since 2010, as a central example. In that setting, some partners focused on resilience in food supply chains, while others wanted deeper transformation of food systems to address hunger, malnutrition and environmental harm.

The analysis argues that this conflict is common in cross-sector partnerships working on issues such as food insecurity, water stress and climate change. It distinguishes between efforts aimed at preserving existing structures and those seeking to change them, noting that many initiatives lean toward one approach or the other, while truly integrated models are rare. The piece cites examples ranging from sustainability certification schemes to advocacy partnerships and global research collaborations.

The authors recommend three ways to manage these tensions: pay closer attention to early warning signs, discuss disagreements openly rather than smoothing them over, and follow through on commitments instead of stopping at short-term wins. They also point to cases such as local food response hubs in Milan, which were maintained after the COVID-19 emergency and adapted to broader food waste and insecurity goals. The article is a broader reflection on how partnerships can balance stability and change in complex policy and development settings.