The British Council is the United Kingdom's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. In Sub Saharan Africa (SSA) we focus on promoting intercultural dialogue, supporting and strengthening democracy and building connections with the UK. We have representation in over 20 SSA countries, where we deliver work in partnership with governments, educational institutions, civil society, the private sector and donors.
Over the last 40 years, we have provided services for development in over 20 countries in Sub Saharan Africa, working with and for a large range of governments, donors, lenders and agencies, including DFID, the European Commission, USAID, the World Bank, the United Nations, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Ford Foundation.
| We build long term relationships in the countries in which we work, and advocate the development of local and national solutions adapted to the differing circumstances of our partners. In all our work, we seek to enable and facilitate change in four ways: |
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Changing perceptions: changing significantly the level of understanding or opinion held by a target audience on a particular issue |
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Agenda setting: changing the priority given to a particular issue among opinion-formers and decision-makers |
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Capacity-building: in skills, personnel, institutions and resources to engage in or react to a particular issue |
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Institutional change: influencing policy, organisational, and legal or regulatory frameworks relating to a particular issue |
Our Development Services unit in Nairobi supports business development and project implementation for client-funded development work across SSA. We work with and for a wide variety of clients, including DFID, the European Commission, FCO, USAID and the World Bank, as well as directly with government departments (e.g. the Ministry of Education in Rwanda).
We lead or support development work for all SSA countries. This includes the analysis of the market, identification of appropriate international and local partners, identification and selection of consultants, and the preparation of international competitive tenders.
We also lead or support the implementation of existing projects. This includes contract negotiation, project start-up, strategic project direction, and client and consultancy management.
| We currently manage a regional business with an annual turnover of approximately £11 million (09/10) across three core sectors: |
