Across the Global South, local organisations are working every day to address some of their communities’ most pressing challenges. From supporting vulnerable families and creating opportunities for young people to strengthening community resilience, these organisations possess valuable knowledge, experience and relationships. Yet many continue to face barriers to funding, visibility and meaningful partnerships.
The Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) notes that, despite growing commitments to locally led development, funding flows to local actors remain below expectations, with much development assistance continuing to pass through international intermediaries (OECD, 2024). This raises an important question: why do organisations closest to community challenges often struggle to access the resources needed to address them?
For many community-based organisations and civil society organisations, the challenge is not a lack of commitment, ideas or understanding of local needs. It is navigating a development ecosystem in which access to opportunities can depend on established networks, institutional relationships and the ability to demonstrate organisational credibility. A community organisation may have years of experience delivering impactful programmes but lack the visibility needed to attract donor attention.
Another may have the capacity to implement a project but struggle to identify suitable funding opportunities or establish relationships with international development partners. When these barriers persist, valuable local expertise risks being overlooked. The OECD’s analysis of locally led development highlights the need to address institutional practices, financing mechanisms and partnership arrangements that can limit the agency of local actors (OECD, 2024).
The consequences extend beyond individual organisations. When capable local organisations struggle to connect with donors and development partners, communities risk losing opportunities to benefit from solutions informed by their own experiences and priorities. Donors, meanwhile, may find it difficult to identify credible local partners beyond their established networks.
The UNDP has highlighted the importance of civil society organisations in reaching communities at risk of being left behind and connecting their concerns to development planning and advocacy (UNDP, 2022). Closing the visibility gap therefore requires more than encouraging local organisations to improve their communication. It requires a development ecosystem in which information is accessible, relationships are easier to establish and opportunities are more visible to those best positioned to use them.
Trust is another important part of this challenge. Responsible funding requires donors and development partners to understand the organisations with which they work. However, the processes involved in establishing organisational credibility can be repetitive and resource-intensive, particularly for smaller organisations with limited administrative capacity. Organisations may repeatedly submit similar documents, respond to comparable questions and undergo separate assessments for different partnerships.
The OECD’s 2026 practical guidelines on locally led development identify burdensome due diligence, compliance and reporting requirements as barriers that can restrict local organisations’ access to funding. The guidelines recommend simplifying processes while maintaining accountability and addressing how risks and responsibilities are shared between partners (OECD, 2026a). Improving these processes could reduce unnecessary duplication and allow organisations and donors to focus more on building meaningful partnerships.
Visibility and credibility alone, however, are not enough. Local organisations also need meaningful connections to funding opportunities, knowledge, networks and potential collaborators. Having a website or social media presence does not automatically translate into a partnership or grant. What matters is whether organisations can reach the right audiences, communicate their capabilities effectively and discover opportunities that align with their missions. Similarly, donors and development actors need practical ways to identify organisations whose expertise, experience and community relationships match their priorities.
The OECD argues that improving financing for locally led development requires more direct funding to local actors, diversified funding channels and more flexible, predictable and long-term support (OECD, 2024). Better connections and improved access to information can contribute to this effort, although they must be accompanied by fairer funding practices.
This is the thinking behind Kuja, an Adeso-powered African social enterprise working to make Global South organisations more visible, trusted, connected and better resourced. Through its integrated platform, Kuja provides a space for organisations and development actors to build their presence, discover opportunities and explore potential collaborations.
Its offerings, including Kuja Trust and Kuja Fund, respond to two important challenges within the development sector: establishing organisational credibility and improving access to funding. Kuja Trust focuses on making organisational due diligence more efficient through a reusable, verifiable approach to organisational information, while Kuja Fund focuses on connecting organisations with funding opportunities and supporting access to resources.
Technology cannot resolve every challenge facing the development sector. Digital platforms cannot replace long-term relationships, equitable funding practices or the need to shift decision-making power closer to communities. They can, however, help reduce information gaps, strengthen connections and make it easier for organisations to demonstrate their capabilities.
The OECD’s 2026 guidance on equitable partnerships emphasises the importance of recognising local actors as partners in decision-making rather than engaging them only after priorities have been established (OECD, 2026b). When technology is combined with stronger partnerships and a genuine commitment to local leadership, it can contribute to a more accessible and connected development ecosystem.
The future of aid must move beyond conversations about localisation towards practical changes in how resources, opportunities and decisions are distributed. Recognising local leadership means more than inviting community organisations to participate in discussions after priorities have already been established. It means valuing their knowledge, investing in their capabilities and creating meaningful pathways for them to influence decisions that affect their communities. It also means recognising that local organisations are not merely recipients of assistance. They are knowledge holders, innovators, implementers and essential partners in shaping sustainable development.
Building a more equitable development ecosystem will require collective action from donors, international organisations, local civil society, networks and technology platforms. It will require asking whether smaller organisations can find relevant funding opportunities without relying entirely on personal connections, whether donors can discover credible partners beyond their established networks and whether organisations can demonstrate their experience without repeatedly navigating the same administrative barriers.
It will also require funders to examine whether their financing models provide the flexibility, predictability and resources local organisations need to grow sustainably. These questions matter because development effectiveness depends not only on the resources available but also on whether funding and decision-making arrangements enable local actors to respond to their communities’ priorities (OECD, 2024; OECD, 2026a).
Ultimately, the organisations closest to community challenges should have meaningful opportunities to shape the solutions. Their experience should be recognised, their credibility should be easier to demonstrate and their access to partnerships and resources should not depend solely on whether they already belong to established networks. A development ecosystem that works for local organisations must make it easier for them to be discovered, trusted and supported while ensuring that communities remain central to decisions about their own futures.
At Kuja, we believe a better-connected development ecosystem begins by making local organisations easier to find, trust and fund. The challenge is not whether these organisations have something valuable to contribute, but whether the systems around them are designed to recognise and support that contribution. By strengthening visibility, building trust and creating meaningful connections, we can move closer to a future in which local organisations have greater opportunities to turn their knowledge and commitment into lasting change.
Be Seen. Be Connected. Be Funded.