About the Conference

The global development praxis is in dire need of repair and reimagination. Despite billions of dollars in aid and development investment, global poverty persists and may even be worsening. The development industry has repeatedly failed to deliver on its promises to End World Hunger or Make Poverty History.

From the 1960s to date, development theory and practice have been primarily neoliberal in intent and approach. These hegemonic models are grossly inefficient and have contributed to keeping the Global Majority in a cycle of insufficiency, power imbalances, and deep-seated inequality.

This convening seeks to change this practice. We are holding a conference for carefully selected development experts from the Global Majority to counter their constant exclusion from so-called global spaces. This gathering provides a platform that showcases the success stories of community-driven development.

4

Continents Represented

20+

Countries Represented

100+

Delegates Expected

30+

Confirmed Speakers

4

Programming Days

Partner Institutions

Click on any organisation below to learn more about our partners

The 6Rs Framework for Repairing Development

For development to be truly sustainable and meaningful for communities, it must adopt these essential principles

1

Reconnection

Reconnecting people with their lands, communities, and indigenous structures that foreign interventions dismembered or disconnected.

2

Re-education

Shifting away from colonial narratives toward community-centered knowledge systems and local expertise.

3

Repair

Addressing the structural damages caused by neoliberal development models and rebuilding with integrity.

4

Rebuild

Creating sustainable development infrastructure rooted in community values and long-term resilience.

5

Resist

Challenging dominant paradigms and rejecting development mercenaries masquerading as decolonial experts.

6

Reimagine

Envisioning new models of development that are equitable, intersectional, and community-initiated.

Conference Objectives

The overall goal is to amplify voices, expertise, and examples of indigenous development interventions that illustrate how current models could be repaired.

  • Increase Pan-African Voices, Ownership and Leadership in the global discourse on development
  • Present Tangible Examples of Radical Reform Approaches
  • Promote Inclusive and Participatory Decision-Making Models from the Global Majority
  • Enhance Pan-African Coordination and Praxis Coherence
  • Invest in Knowledge, Innovation, and Reimagination
  • Repair the Power Imbalance Between Development Donors and Recipients

Conveners

Visionary leaders bringing together diverse voices to shape transformative development conversations.

Makmid Kamara

Reform Initiatives

Dr. Liliane Umubyeyi

African Futures Lab

Noel Didla

Deep South Solidarity Fund

Dr. Myrna Cunningham

PAWANKA Fund

Key Speakers

Leading experts from across the Global Majority bringing decades of grassroots experience and academic excellence

Dr. Ashwini K.P.

UN Special Rapporteur on contemporary forms of racism, racial discrimination, xenophobia and related intolerance

Prof. Ibbo Mandaza

Executive Chair of the Southern Africa Political Economy Series -SAPES, Trust

Thomas Piketty

Co-Director, World Inequality Lab & Global Justice Project

MCs

Dynamic hosts facilitating engaging conversations and creating a welcoming conference experience.

Angela Wambui

Ewura Adams Karim

Event Format

A solutions exchange gathering focused on peer learning and showcasing successful community-driven initiatives

Video Documentary Screenings

Selected case studies of successful community-driven development initiatives

Ac-Prac Presentations

Academic-Practitioner sessions bridging theory and practice

In-Situ Learning Tour

Community visit outside Accra to Nkyimkyim museum

Panel Discussions & Fireside Chats

Intimate conversations with development leaders from the Global Majority

Who Will Attend

This is an invite-only gathering of no more than 150 persons. We have invited development practitioners, academics, and indigenous community leaders from the Global Majority.

Participants will be mainly Africans, people of African descent in Europe and the USA, Asians, Latin Americans, and representatives from Kerala, India—the state led by a socialist government that recently announced the successful completion of its development program to end extreme poverty.

This gathering prioritizes voices typically excluded from international development conferences due to visa restrictions and economic inequality.

Audio-Visual Consent

The conference will involve photography, videography, and audio recording throughout the event. All participants are required to review and provide consent for the use of audio-visual content captured during the conference. This content may be used across our communications, publications, and digital platforms to document and share the important work and conversations that take place during this gathering.