Introduction
The CTA had been systematically conducting needs assessments studies for its
products and services in the African, Pacific and Caribbean (ACP) region since 2003
and the African region (post-conflict countries) since 2005. CTA realized the
importance of similar studies in Southern Africa (Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi,
Namibia, South Africa, Zimbabwe & Zambia) and Ghana. On the 5 - 7 February
2007, the study was launched in Gaborone (Botswana) in response to the CTA’s call
on assessment of agricultural information needs in Namibia, while taking the CTA’s
new Strategic Plan 2007 – 2010 into account. The Strategic Plan places emphasis
on: (i) improving CTA’s efficiency and increasing the Centre’s outreach by addressing
the major bottleneck of difficult or insufficient access to information in ACP countries;
(ii) honing CTA’s profile and further defining the niche where the centre has a
comparative advantage. Consequently, reaching more beneficiaries and further
strengthening CTA’s partnership networks is key as well as the thrust to make
Information Communication Technologies (ICTs) and Information Communication
Management (ICM) strategies more widely available.
Objectives
The overall objective of the study is to improve CTA’s collaboration strategies with,
and support to ACP agricultural organisations. The study focuses on the main
agricultural services and actors existing in the country (information supply side) in
terms of their strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for collaboration with CTA.
Further, the study aimed at identifying agricultural information and ICM capacity
building needs of key actors / key strategic partners for CTA products and services.
Potential strategic partners for CTA activities and services (with special attention to
e.g. print media, radio, TV and journalist networks) were identified with proposed
CTA interventions and action plan.
Methodology
The consultants used a combination of qualitative and quantitative rapid appraisal
methods. The consultants conducted a desk review of available literature and
information sources in public libraries or information centres and from institutions like
the National Planning Commission (NPC), National Economic Policy Research Unit
(NEPRU), Namibia Agricultural Union (NAU), Namibia National Farmers’ Union
(NNFU) and the Ministries of Agriculture and Fisheries. The desk review used
institutional annual reports, country reports, national documents such as Vision 2030
and the Development Plans, national policy documents (e.g. the agricultural,
fisheries, ICT policies, etc.), grey literature and other unpublished documents.
Interviews with relevant informants were held or small meetings in a group of not
more than three people. The interviews were guided by a structured questionnaire
developed by the CTA.
As per the resolutions of the meeting in Gaborone (Botswana) early this year and
with due cognizance of the maximum (≤15) potential partners, 44 institutions were
classified according to their roles in agriculture and rural development after which 13
were selected for further consultations. The selection criteria upheld
representativeness across the country and used strategic positioning (see Figure 2),
overall ICM and ICT skills/capacities, involvement in agricultural, agroforestry and/or
fisheries-related activities and potential of becoming CTA’s renowned partner.