Sink or swim

As so often is the case when managing projects in the tropics, days are spent cooped up in musty rooms with rattling air conditioning units that don't quite prevent perspiration, looking down on inviting scenes such as this.

We've had an excellent day of project planning, along with the project donor's representatives. Several large for-profit companies, all American, specialise in winning US Government Agency for International Development (USAID) contracts to implement large scale development programmes all over the world. I worked on a sub-grant from one of these behemoths when in Cambodia, and they always partner with international NGOs such as us, and various national NGOs such as the Liberian human development organisation that was also present today. We've won a large sub-grant to implement forest and biodiversity conservation activities in two important landscapes in Liberia (one of which spills into Guinea) and today was mostly getting clued up on rules, regulations, administration and finances. It sounds dry, but such days avoid a world of grant management pain later.

It may appear strange to have so many layers and entities involved in distributing aid and a private company as the main intermediary, but it's America, so of course even development aid is privatised. Whether NGOs like it or not, this is a model that the US government likes as it perceives its funds to be well managed. Generally the nature of their contracts with the US government will mean that what they don't spend to fulfil the stated targets (which we contribute to), private intermediaries will retain as profit. They've established their niche and NGOs find it much harder to outcompete and win these funds directly. And, to be honest, the rules and regulations around this government (statutory is another term) funding are so heavy-going that it is a relief to be somewhat shielded.

The supremely ridiculous irony of the USA was on full display during the discussion about branding. Most physical outputs are required to use the USAID logo and slogan 'from the American people'. This particular programme focuses on West African biodiversity and climate change. Trump is the only world leader to have annulled their country's commitment to the Paris Agreement on tackling climate change and is famously ripping up the mountains of irrefutable science that proves the climate is in a serious state of flux. His followers routinely state that climate change is a myth, trotting out some nonsense about conspiracy theories spread by liberals. Now that 'from the American people' has to be so prominently displayed on project materials, and because the project operates in countries deemed 'sh*tholes' by Trump, it gives me a huge amount of smug glee.

Thank goodness this regional programme was initiated before Trump had the chance to influence funding decisions in Washington, as it would likely have crashed before getting off the ground. And adding together the impact of all the partners (we are one of many cogs) this programme will achieve some cool stuff. Thanks to the American people! Especially those of you in states who voted heavily for Trump. We appreciate your taxes. Even though you hate giving them.

I returned from the pool view to my dingy lodgings after a productive day, and ate choco cereal balls and UHT milk out of a polystyrene dish. Fyiah (pronounced Fire) was the driver that gave me a lift, and when I heard him holler at the Guinean driver who has brought to the workshop a few colleagues from our project there, he said it was because he picked up some French as a refugee for three years in Guinea.