Cycle Africa:
Helping organisations strengthen programmes and partnerships in practice
Insights from across Africa’s local development ecosystem
About
I’m Ellie, an international development professional specialising in localisation, programme delivery and partnerships.
In 2025, I completed a 10,000km cycling expedition across Sub-Saharan Africa, engaging with over 100 locally led NGOs to understand how programmes are delivered in practice.
This work now underpins a platform for sharing evidence and expertise, supporting more grounded and effective approaches to development for both locally led and international organisations.
Context
Grounded in direct experience with locally led organisations, I have seen how context-specific approaches drive impact and how these insights can inform wider programmes and partnerships.
Evidence from the Field
I captured insights across Africa’s development ecosystem, focusing on how programmes are delivered in practice, including challenges, adaptive approaches and systemic gaps shaping effectiveness, partnerships and funding.
Insights to Practice
I use these insights to support donors and NGOs to design more effective programmes, strengthen collaboration and connect with impactful locally led organisations across contexts.
100 NGOs engaged across 10 countries
This 10,000-kilometre journey took me from Kigali to Cape Town, spanning Eastern and Southern Africa and covering:
Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa.
Along the route, I engaged with approximately 10 NGOs in each country, focusing on education, gender and youth economic activity.
What I Offer
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Supporting NGOs, INGOs and donors to design more effective programmes and partnerships, grounded in the realities of implementation.
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Working with partners to identify impactful local NGOs and support connections with funders, investors and collaborators across the ecosystem.
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Delivering insight-led talks on programme delivery and partnerships, alongside sessions on resilience and adaptation drawn from the expedition.
Partners
Friends of Bata empowers young people by providing funding, mentorship and resources to turn innovative ideas into impactful community projects.
I am working in collaboration with the Southern African Council for Non-Governmental Organisations (SAf-CNGO), a regional network supporting civil society organisations across the SADC region.