Why Global Majority–Led Systems Change Matters Now
The international development ecosystem is at an important turning point. For many decades, development cooperation has been shaped largely by institutions based in the Global North. These institutions often referred to as the Global Minority, have played a major role in funding, designing, and evaluating development programmes around the world.
While this system has contributed to progress in areas such as health, education, and poverty reduction, it has also created deep structural imbalances. Decision-making power, financial resources, and knowledge production have remained concentrated in a small number of institutions and countries.
Today, the world is facing a polycrisis, a situation where multiple global challenges are happening at the same time. Climate change, economic instability, political uncertainty, technological disruption, and widening inequality are all interacting in complex ways. These challenges are stretching the limits of the traditional development model. At the same time, the global landscape is changing. Many countries in Africa, Asia, and Latin America are strengthening their own institutions and economies. As a result, the world is gradually moving toward what many call a post-aid era, where traditional donor-recipient relationships are becoming less relevant.
In this new reality, the international development ecosystem must rethink how it operates. Incremental reform will not be enough. What is required is deep systems change, a transformation in how power, resources, knowledge, and leadership are organised within the development system.
At the heart of this transformation must be leadership from the Global Majority.
The Supply Side and the Demand Side
One useful way to understand the development ecosystem is to think about it in terms of supply and demand.
These two sides interact constantly and shape how development interventions are designed and implemented.
The Supply Side
The supply side of the development system includes the actors who provide funding, technical expertise, and programme frameworks.
These actors include:
· institutional foundations
· bilateral development agencies
· multilateral organisations
· international NGOs
· global consulting and advisory firms
For many years, this side of the system has largely determined what development priorities should be and how programmes should be implemented.
Most development interventions have been organised through projects with defined timelines, predetermined outputs, and detailed reporting structures. While this model can bring efficiency and accountability, it also has limitations.
Short funding cycles often prevent organisations from addressing long-term structural issues. Rigid planning frameworks can limit flexibility and innovation. In many cases, local actors must adjust their priorities to match donor expectations rather than respond directly to community needs.
As a result, many organisations spend significant time managing grants rather than solving the deeper problems affecting their societies.
For meaningful change to happen, the supply side of the system must evolve. Funders and international organisations need to move toward long-term, flexible, and trust-based partnerships. They must also recognise that expertise does not only exist in the Global North.
The Demand Side
The demand side of the development ecosystem includes the communities, organisations, and institutions that experience development challenges directly.
These actors include:
· civil society organisations
· community-based organisations
· social movements
· local governments
· grassroots leaders
For many years, these actors have often been treated as implementers or beneficiaries of programmes designed elsewhere.
However, the Global Majority possesses deep knowledge about its own realities. Communities understand their own social, cultural, and political contexts far better than external actors.
Across Africa and other regions, local organisations are already leading innovative solutions in areas such as community development, governance, education, climate adaptation, and social protection.
The challenge is not a lack of ideas or leadership. The challenge is that the system has not always given these actors the space, resources, or authority to shape development agendas.
For systems change to happen, the demand side must move from being consulted participants to central decision-makers.
The Transition Toward a Post-Aid World
The traditional aid system was largely created after the Second World War. At that time, many countries were rebuilding their economies, and international assistance played an important role.
Today, the situation is different.
Many countries are strengthening their domestic economies and institutions. At the same time, global power is becoming more distributed.
Development cooperation is increasingly taking new forms such as:
· knowledge exchange
· investment partnerships
· regional cooperation
· policy learning between countries
This shift suggests that the future of development will rely less on traditional aid and more on collaboration, partnership, and shared learning.
In this context, the idea of a post-aid world does not mean that resources will disappear. Instead, it means that relationships within the development ecosystem must become more equal and mutually beneficial.
The Growing Importance of South–South Cooperation
One of the most promising developments in the evolving development landscape is the rise of South–South cooperation.
South–South cooperation refers to collaboration between countries and institutions in the Global Majority.
These partnerships are becoming increasingly important because they allow countries to learn from others who face similar development challenges.
For example, countries in Africa can exchange experiences on agricultural innovation, digital governance, climate resilience, and public sector reform.
These exchanges are often more practical and relevant because they come from contexts that share similar social and economic conditions.
South–South cooperation also helps rebalance the global knowledge system by ensuring that ideas flow not only from North to South, but also across the Global South.
What Systems Change Really Means
Systems change is different from traditional programme reform. Instead of focusing only on individual projects, systems change looks at the structures and relationships that shape the entire ecosystem.
Several important shifts are necessary.
Self-Reflection Within Institutions
The first step toward systems change is honest self-reflection.
Organisations especially those with significant power and resources must examine how their practices may unintentionally reinforce unequal power relationships.
This includes questioning long-standing assumptions about expertise, leadership, and ownership in development work.
Without this level of introspection, reforms risk becoming superficial.
Building Strong Coalitions
No single organisation can transform the development system on its own.
Systems change requires collaboration among many different actors, including civil society organisations, governments, research institutions, and private sector partners.
These coalitions must be built on trust and shared purpose rather than competition for funding.
When diverse actors come together around a common vision, they can influence policies, reshape institutions, and address structural challenges more effectively.
Understanding the Root Causes of Problems
Many development interventions focus on immediate problems rather than the deeper forces that produce those problems.
Systems change requires a deeper understanding of factors such as:
- governance structures
- economic incentives
- social norms
- power relationships
Examining these underlying drivers enables development actors to design interventions that address the root causes of problems rather than merely responding to visible symptoms.
Changing Mental Models
One of the most difficult parts of systems change involves transforming the beliefs and assumptions that shape decision-making.
For example, many development systems still assume that innovation primarily comes from international experts rather than local actors.
Changing these mental models requires new narratives that recognise and value the knowledge and leadership present within the Global Majority.
Embedding New Systems and Structures
For change to last, new approaches must be built into institutions.
This may include new funding models, new governance structures, and new ways of measuring success.
If these structural changes are not embedded, old practices often reappear once projects end.
What an Afrocentric Systems Change Process Could Look Like
Africa has a unique opportunity to shape a new model of development cooperation based on its own values, knowledge systems, and institutional strengths.
An Afrocentric systems change process would begin by placing African institutions and communities at the center of decision-making.
Such a process would likely involve several key elements.
First, African anchor institutions such as universities, research centres, and regional civil society networks would play a leading role in convening dialogue and guiding learning processes.
Second, facilitators based within Africa would support collaborative processes that bring together different actors across the development ecosystem.
Third, multi-stakeholder coalitions would allow governments, civil society, communities, and the private sector to jointly define development priorities.
Fourth, the process would draw on both indigenous knowledge and modern research, ensuring that solutions are culturally grounded while also benefiting from global learning.
Finally, Afrocentric systems change processes would focus on long-term transformation rather than short-term projects.
Instead of asking what can be achieved within a three-year funding cycle, stakeholders would ask what kind of society they want to build over the next twenty years.
Rethinking the Roles of Key Actors
As the development ecosystem evolves, different actors will need to rethink their roles.
Institutional funders and bilateral agencies must move away from highly controlled project funding toward longer-term and more flexible partnerships.
Global Minority organisations may increasingly act as facilitators, connectors, and allies rather than primary implementers.
Global Majority organisations will play a central role in shaping agendas, generating knowledge, and leading coalitions for change.
Intermediaries and regional institutions will serve as bridges, helping actors collaborate and share knowledge across sectors and regions.
A Moment of Opportunity
The international development ecosystem is entering a period of profound change.
The challenges facing the world today cannot be solved by the same structures and assumptions that created them.
A new approach is emerging, one that is more collaborative, more locally rooted, and more responsive to the realities of the Global Majority.
Global Majority–led systems change is not simply about shifting resources. It is about rebalancing power, redefining leadership, and building a more inclusive and effective development system.
If embraced with honesty and commitment, this transformation offers an opportunity to create a development ecosystem that is not only more equitable, but also more capable of addressing the complex challenges of our time.
