Cultural Empowerment Framework - Ngwanake: An African-rooted approach to youth and community evaluation

Abstract

The Cultural Empowerment Framework; Ngwanake is an African-rooted evaluation approach developed through the Pan-African Indigenous Evaluation Consortium (PAIEC), with the participation of Africa Nazarene University and support from the Mastercard Foundation. The framework promotes youth and community empowerment by integrating cultural knowledge, indigenous practices, community science, and technology into project design, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and learning.

Named after the Setswana term “Ngwanake,” meaning “our child,” the framework emphasizes three core principles: cultural awareness, cultural innovation, and autonomy or self-reliance (Jitegemee). It seeks to strengthen youth participation, amplify the voices of young women and local communities, address inequalities in decision-making, and promote culturally relevant, locally owned, and sustainable development interventions.

The presentation outlines the framework's application across project planning, design, implementation, monitoring, outcomes, and sustainability. It also documents pilot testing involving project designers, implementers, and beneficiaries in Zambia, Uganda, and Malawi. The pilot process identified challenges relating to gender inequality, youth access to finance and land, ownership rights, market access, and reasonable accommodation for persons with disabilities. The framework highlights the potential of intergenerational learning, indigenous knowledge, cultural innovation, and appropriate technology to support community-led evaluation and sustainable development.

The framework was developed as part of the broader initiative to strengthen African-led approaches to monitoring, evaluation, and learning.