A positive step towards rethinking development.
There is a growing movement to center local communities in the development process, a shift known as locally led development. This approach prioritizes the voices, experiences, and leadership of the people most affected by development initiatives, recognizing their unique capacity to drive lasting solutions. As defined by the OECD, it’s about agency, enabling local actors to frame, design, and evaluate their own development paths, rooted in their knowledge and context.
In Uganda, this movement is taking shape through initiatives like the Local Leadership Labs (LLB), a partnership between CAPAIDS Uganda and CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation. On May 15, 2025, they convened a national dialogue in Kampala and launched a position paper informed by voices from seven regions. The event brought together government, civil society, and grassroots leaders, including the CivLegacy Foundation, to co-create solutions and reflect on barriers to truly localized development. Speakers emphasized the need to shift systems, mindsets, and power, and called for continued dialogue grounded in lived experience.