Katonte is all about thinking and working politically. This carries it into fields concerned not just with governance reform, but more especially into the fields of growth and service delivery. Our senior experts have conducted studies and implemented solutions across a wide range of sectors, including small business development, cultural heritage, the oil sector, water and sanitation, health and education, rice and beans value chains, forestry, garments and fisheries.
 

One of the key lessons from this work – a lesson that is in part revealed through our analyses of power – is that change happens more rapidly if it matches the interests of relatively powerful people. The secret is to find change agendas of the wealthy that will also serve to improve the livelihoods of the poor and their access to public goods. But also, in a longer term perspective, it is ultimately business growth that empowers people, whether they are men, women or other disadvantaged groups. It gives them the money to afford education, and eventually to pay taxes, and this enhances their interest in improving the accountability of their elected (or otherwise) leaders. So in the long term it is economic development that promotes improvements in governance. Value chain development also promotes interdependence between groups who might otherwise have been set against each other.

 

If politicians can be included in the benefits of economic growth, there are indications that this can reduce their propensity to ferment violence and conflict. If the seeds of business growth can be enhanced, to the benefit both of the powerful as well as the poor, we believe this can be the best, most sustainable, and locally driven, route to peace, better governance, and development.