Highlights and Key Takeaways from AfricaXchange 2025 on Locally Led Development

The Partnership for Economic Policy (PEP) participated in the AfricaXchange 2025 convening, held April 7–10, 2025, in Nairobi, Kenya. The event, co-hosted by The Rockefeller Foundation, The Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), and The Hilton Foundation, brought together global and local leaders committed to advancing Locally Led Development (LLD) as a sustainable and community-centred approach to change.

Representing PEP were the Executive Director, Prof Jane Mariara and Peter Nderitu, the Senior Programme Manager, who joined the convening to contribute to and learn from critical discussions on localization and development financing. PEP commends AfricaXchange’s strong efforts to promote the localization of development initiatives—an approach that closely aligns with PEP’s mission to support Southern leadership in economic development research and policy.

Since its inception in 2002, PEP has championed the leadership of local researchers and policy actors in the Global South. Our belief in the importance of contextual knowledge underpins our support for evidence-based, locally driven development solutions.

The four-day convening came at a timely moment, as Africa contends with overlapping challenges including climate change, economic shifts, and a rapidly evolving funding landscape. Sessions during the event offered valuable insights, urging development actors to move beyond traditional approaches and embrace innovation, resilience, and stronger partnerships.

We were especially encouraged by discussions that underscored how collective efforts—such as the COVAX initiative during the COVID-19 pandemic—can yield impactful results when philanthropy, civil society, governments, and communities unite.

Key lessons PEP took from the convening include:

• - Need to secure political will at the highest levels to enable systemic transformation in Africa.
• - Urgency for collective action by all actors to address shared development challenges.
• - Tapping into innovative financing mechanisms—such as impact investing, catalytic capital, and blended finance.
• - The centrality of timely and high-quality data in guiding impactful decisions.
• - Promoting transparency and accountability to ensure resources benefit the most marginalized.
• - Harnessing domestic resource mobilization and encouraging local philanthropy.
• - Promoting prudent debt management practices.
• - Leveraging technology to drive innovative health financing models.
• - Restructuring development finance to better reflect local realities.
• - Recognizing the significant role of diaspora funding in African development.
• - Amplifying African voices in global development dialogues.
• - Scaling up proven, effective development solutions.
• - Collaborating with grassroots organizations that are close to the challenges.
• - Mobilizing joint support from foundations and philanthropists for locally led initiatives.

Looking ahead,PEP is seeking partnerships with contacts made during the 4-day convening and other like-minded partners to further our work on promoting localization in Africa and the global south.