The Southern Africa Capacity Initiative (SACI) is an innovative response to one of the most challenging development problems faced today that is the debilitating impact of HIV/AIDS on the public service at both the national and regional levels. Given the devastating effects of the pandemic on public sector capacity in the Southern African region, the SACI is a coherent and integrated response to arresting the decline in public service delivery on one hand and in containing and reversing the negative effects on governmental expenditures on the other.

Essentially, SACI is a set of catalytic actions designed to assist nations in Southern Africa to deal with the interlocking challenges of HIV/AIDS, capacity erosion, poverty and disasters through the governance lens. In other words, the initiative is a process of creating a more qualified, efficient and innovative approach that is responsive to the real needs of the public service which is empowered to adapt to national and global challenges, including the HIV/AIDS crisis. The SACI project was conceived to respond to a rapidly changing international, regional and national context characterised by HIV/AIDS, poverty, humanitarian emergencies and dwindling human resources. SACI will introduce innovative problem solving approaches to public sector reform such as 'double loop learning' and 'action research'.

Double loop learning pertains to learning that occurs when error is detected and corrected in ways that involve changing an organisation's underlying assumptions, norms, policies and objectives. By contrast, in 'single-loop learning' the more conventional method of problem solving, the emphasis lies on maintaining the status quo and making present techniques and policies more efficient. Double loop learning, a more creative and experimental approach, is better suited to making informed decisions in rapidly changing and often uncertain contexts. Action research is a family of methodologies that pursue action (or change) and research (or understanding) at the same time. This happens using a cyclic process that alternates between action and critical reflection, and in later cycles, continuously refining methods, data and interpretation in the light of the understanding gained in earlier cycles.

SACI, as a regional learning exchange platform, will provide opportunities for the sharing of experiences, lessons learnt and best practices on reform processes across the region. It will also become a depository of methods, approaches and tools for improving public sector, private sector and NGO performance.

The potential entry points for SACI at country level are:

Policy support

Meeting new demands for skills (streamlining higher education, strategic south-to-south and north-to-south partnerships with institutions of higher learning)

Re-organisation of service delivery (expanding outreach, improving management and efficiency of public service provision through action research, increasing partnerships with other actors etc.)

Capacity stabilization (deploying UNVs in key sectors)

Lesotho and SACI

The SACI initiative will complement the work of UNDP in Lesotho which has focused of challenging the existing development paradigm, coming from a clear understanding that Business as Usual is no longer an option in the country. The HIV/AIDS pandemic tells us that approaches to development challenges to date simply have not worked and new and innovative approaches are required. SACI will assist the Country Office as it works closely with the government in particular the public service in it efforts to scale up the national response in an innovative manner.

The Country Office will strengthen its support to transformation in the public service, harnessing the capacity from the regional centre to assist with the implementation of a programme of change within the public service. It will also work to support the achievement of the 3x5 campaign in close cooperation with the other UN agencies in particular WHO.