Cycle Africa
Across sub-Saharan Africa, local civil society organisations play a vital role in addressing challenges in education, youth development and gender equality. Drawing on their understanding of local needs, trusted relationships and ability to adapt, they develop solutions rooted in the communities they serve.
Yet many face significant barriers, from limited access to flexible funding and demanding reporting requirements to unequal partnerships and limited influence over decision-making.
Having worked with and alongside organisations across the development sector, I wanted to hear directly from those leading these initiatives: what inspired them, the challenges they faced and the approaches they developed in response.
This curiosity led to a 10,000 km cycling expedition across East and Southern Africa and an independent research project informed by conversations with over 100 organisations.
The expedition and research
Between May 2025 and February 2026, I cycled 10,000 km across ten countries, from Kigali, Rwanda, to Cape Town, South Africa. Along the way, I navigated Rwanda’s endless hills, remote mountain roads, encounters with tsetse flies and the Namibian desert in temperatures approaching 50°C, while experiencing some of the most extraordinary landscapes across the African continent.
Throughout the journey, I stopped in capital cities and other communities to meet with local NGOs, social enterprises and grassroots initiatives working across education, youth development and gender equality. Through conversations with over 100 organisations, I listened to founders’ stories, explored the challenges they were seeking to address and learned about the approaches they had developed in response.
Local knowledge and trusted relationships
Creativity and adaptation with limited resources
Funding, reporting and partnership challenges
Listening to those closest to the challenges
These perspectives formed the foundation of an independent research project exploring locally led development in practice.
Research and next steps
This work now underpins a platform for sharing evidence and expertise, supporting more grounded and effective approaches to development for both locally led and international organisations.
Upcoming report: Locally Led in Practice
Dissemination of evidence on engagement with civil society organisations (CSOs) at country level.