Author: Rachel Macharia
What does it truly mean to lead? In the development sector, leadership is often associated with visibility, ownership, and control. Yet, in complex systems like education reform, the most transformative leadership may be quiet, strategic, and deliberately invisible. Strengthening Education Rachel Macharia
Whether explicitly voiced or not, this idea quietly shaped the conversations at the second Daara Learning Retreat held in Senegal from 27–29 January 2026. The retreat brought together partners from across the Daara cohorts into one learning community, to explore what effective partnership with government really looks like — and how Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) such as Non-Government Organizations, Community-Based Organizations (CBOs), Faith-Based Organizations (FBOs), networks, and foundations .and civil society can catalyze sustainable reform without dominating the narrative.
Education systems are inherently governmental. Sustainable reform can only occur when governments own, lead, and scale solutions. CSOs, therefore, face a delicate but essential task: supporting government leadership while influencing and complementing system capacity of existing structures and processes—without trying to replace them by creating parallel ones.
The retreat explored this balance, positioning CSOs not as drivers, but as enablers: trusted partners who bring evidence, innovation, funding pathways, and technical expertise, while allowing government to remain firmly in the driver’s seat.
Participants highlighted several practical strategies that support effective CSO–government collaboration:
- Strong alignment with national policy priorities
- Formal partnership frameworks, including MOUs with government institutions
- Co-design and co-creation of programs with government counterparts
- Capacity strengthening of ministry and technical staff
- Robust monitoring and evaluation systems that generate credible evidence for decision-makers
- Collaborative partnerships that maintain organizational identity while keeping government at the center
- Cultivating bottom-up feedback loops where grassroots implementation informs national policy
Across many contexts, CSOs are increasingly shifting from direct operational control toward enabling and strengthening local actors, including communities, grassroots organizations, and public institutions. This transition requires moving beyond visibility-driven implementation toward approaches that prioritize local ownership, institutional capacity, and sustainable change.
At a time of growing funding constraints and increasing expectations for impact, the development sector is also recognizing the need to move beyond brand-driven and competitive models. Instead, collaborative, locally led, and system-strengthening partnerships are emerging as critical pathways for achieving sustainable and scalable development outcomes.
Leading from behind requires humility, patience, and trust. It means choosing influence over visibility, systems over programs, and sustainability over speed. Achieving this shift requires commitment from all stakeholders — governments, civil society, funders, and communities alike.
When governments lead and civil society strengthens the system around them, the architecture of change may remain largely invisible—but its impact endures. Education reforms become more sustainable, more scalable, and more responsive to the needs of learners. And ultimately, millions of children benefit.
When governments lead — and CSOs support — millions of children win.
Rachel Macharia
Partnership and Policy Consultant
Grassroots Nest for innovations and Change (GRiC) Africa