Seven “key, practical action” Aspects Caritas Africa Want Implemented by 2030

Credit: Caritas Africa

For leadership and management, Caritas Africa says, “Leaders, influencers, and all who are engaged are encouraged to share their vision for KM and a sustainable knowledge society through statements to co-create a wider understanding of sustainable knowledge societies and knowledge management at Caritas.”

Caritas Africa wants that “an international KM Committee is formed to coordinate KM on a global level. A joint KM Portal for Caritas International shall be developed to provide guidance material for implementations.”

Credit: Caritas Africa

Regarding knowledge services and products, Caritas Africa says that such knowledge needs to be “necessary to operate in the business process and to achieve excellent results” and that the knowledge “shall be determined and systematically developed, maintained and availed to the relevant users.”

On knowledge work that takes the perspective of change agents, participants in the KM4Change conference want Caritas Africa Academy to “provide a comprehensive programme for learning,’ including the use of “expert-driven and peer-to-peer learning, spanning from small learning units to comprehensive courses.”

Credit: Caritas Africa

The component of knowledge infrastructures from K-Hub perspective is to entail “knowledge sharing and collaboration”, Caritas Africa says, adding that this component “requires adequate IT-tools.”

For knowledge networks, Caritas Africa says, “Collaboration in Communities of Practice (CoPs) in key business processes, thematic areas or regions shall boost the operations by making available best practice all over the continent. CoPs shall be open and international as much as possible and useful.”

Credit: Caritas Africa

Knowledge processes are to involve the defining and equipping “core” instruments that the participants describe as “practical methods and tools.”

For knowledge partnerships, Caritas Africa expects national entities to “encourage and support the formation of knowledge partnerships or strengthen them where they are existing.”

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The participants in the KM4Change conference say in their declaration, “Knowledge Partnerships are aiming to strengthen knowledge among key stakeholders in a thematic area, and support mutual trust, knowledge sharing and collaboration.”

In her closing remarks at the conclusion of KM4Change conference on June 15, Caritas Africa Regional Executive Secretary, Lucy Esipila, lauded the initiative for a Knowledge Management strategy, which she said “is clearly aligned to our strategic plan.”

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“This is a step in the right direction,” Ms. Esipila said, and added, “As the President of Caritas always says all our activities must be aligned to our strategic plan and through the lens of localization.”

She continued, “Such workshops are invaluable as they help us reflect on the key activities in our operational plan.”

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“It is indeed important for us to create time for reflecting on how we can organize, create, use, and share collective knowledge within an organization,” the Nairobi-based Caritas official said.

Ms. Esipila who first joined Caritas in 2012 at Kenya’s Catholic Diocese of Maralal as an assistant Livelihoods Programs Officer further said, “Our challenge now is to see how we maintain information in a place where it is easy to access.”

Credit: Caritas Africa

The conference, according to the declaration, was the culmination of four months of work focused on the training of 25 Caritas people from 17 countries tasked with developing Caritas strategies in their respective countries.

The 17 countries include, Benin, Burkina-Faso, Burundi, Comoros, Congo, Côte d Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Madagascar, Mozambique, Niger, DR Congo, Senegal, Chad, Togo and Zambia.