What is Capacity, Capacity Assessment, and Capacity Development Capacity is defined as “the ability of individuals, organizations, and societies to perform functions, solve problems, and set and achieve objectives in a sustainable manner”. Capacity Assessment is an analysis of desired future capacities against current capacities. This assessment generates an understanding of capacity assets and needs, which in turn leads to the formulation of capacity development response strategies. Capacity development is thereby the process through which the abilities to do so are obtained, strengthened, adapted and maintained over time.

What is Capacity Development? CD is the ability of individuals, organisations and societies to perform functions, solve problems, and set and achieve objectives in a sustainable manner.” Capacity Development is a means towards reaching development outcomes, and therefore, CD is the “HOW” of development. Capacity development is much more than supporting training programmes and the use of national expertise (these are necessary, but we must include response and support strategies for accountable leadership, investments in long-term education and learning, strengthened public systems and voice mechanisms between citizen and state and institutional reform that ensures a responsive public and private sector that manages and delivers services to those who need them most.

What are the Levels of Capacity Development? Country’s capacity resides at 3 levels: The Enabling Environment, policies, legislation, power relations and social norms, all of which govern the mandates, priorities, modes of operation and civic engagement across different parts of society. Sector Policy reform, improvements in service delivery, increased coordination among institutional actors. Enabling Environment Sector Level Organization Level Individual Level

What are the Levels of Capacity Development? Organisation Internal policies, arrangements, procedures and frameworks that allow an organization to operate and deliver on its mandate, and that enables the coming together of individual capacities to achieve goals. If these exist, are well-resourced and well-aligned, the capability of an organization to perform will be greater than that of the sum of its parts. Individual Skills, experience and knowledge that are vested in people. Each person is endowed with a mix of capacities that allows them to perform, whether at home, at work or in society at large. Some of these are acquired through formal training and education, others through learning by doing and experience.

What Capacities? Capacity Development response could be applied through: Institutional Reform and Incentives Leadership Capacities Education, Training and Learning Accountability and Voice mechanisms

improvements in people’s lives (the impact level) are affected by changes in institutional performance, stability and adaptability (the outcome level), which in turn are affected by the products and services produced from programming actions (the output level), and Human, financial and physical resources are the inputs that are needed to generate the outputs.