From 1 to 3 September 2026, more than 200 leaders from 30 countries gathered in Accra for Africa at the Centre: Leading Change, Shifting Power. The convening brought together civil society leaders, funders, activists and development practitioners to ask a question the development sector can no longer afford to avoid: what would change if African organisations were not simply included in development, but were at the centre of defining its future?
For Kuja by Adeso, the answer begins with coming closer.
Kuja means come in Swahili. It is an invitation to move closer to the organisations and communities already creating change, to listen to their knowledge, recognise their leadership and make it easier for them to access the relationships, resources and opportunities they need.
One of the clearest lessons from Accra was that visibility is power. Across Africa, local organisations are responding to challenges, building resilient communities and developing solutions that are rooted in local realities. Yet many remain invisible to the funders, partners and networks that could help them grow their impact.
Being close to a community should be an advantage, not a barrier. This is one of the gaps Kuja is built to address. Through the platform, organisations can create profiles that showcase their work, discover funding opportunities, connect with potential partners, access useful resources and participate in conversations shaping the future of aid and development.
Because being locally led should never mean being locally invisible.
The conversations in Accra also challenged the way we think about funding and power. African organisations should not have to continually prove that they are ready to lead. They are already leading. What needs to change are the systems that determine who gets seen, who gets trusted and who gets resourced.
That means making opportunities easier to find. It means creating stronger connections between organisations, funders and development actors. It means recognising that local knowledge, community relationships and proximity are valuable forms of expertise.
It also means moving beyond conversations about localisation towards practical infrastructure that makes locally led development possible.
This is where Kuja comes in.
Kuja is creating a space where local organisations can be more visible, more connected and better positioned to access the opportunities and resources available across the development ecosystem. It is about bringing together the information, relationships and pathways organisations need, while creating space for them to shape conversations about the future of aid.
The work does not end when a conference ends.
The real test of shifting power happens in the ordinary days that follow. It happens when an organisation discovers a funding opportunity it would otherwise have missed. When two organisations find each other and begin working together. When a local organisation can tell its story directly to a potential partner. When knowledge moves between communities and across borders.
These everyday connections are where change becomes tangible.
Africa at the Centre reminded us that the continent does not lack ideas, leadership or solutions. What is needed are systems that recognise, connect and resource the people already doing the work.
Africa does not need permission to lead. It needs the space, infrastructure and resources to lead on its own terms.
That is the work Kuja is committed to. Come closer. Be seen. Be connected. Be funded.
Join Kuja and become part of an ecosystem putting local organisations where they belong: at the centre of development.