By Foday Moriba Conteh
In a bid to empower their partner organizations on the use of the Interest and Influence/Power Matrix in the country, One Family People with support from Liliane Fonds has concluded a one-day district-level workshop on stakeholders and service providers mapping data validation. The event, held at the Residual Special Court for Sierra Leone Peace Museum Hall on New England Ville in Freetown.
Addressing the gathering, Samuel P.O.V. Macauley, Program Manager at One Family People, said that the workshop objectives included defining the Stakeholders/Service Providers Mapping with Interest and Influence/Power Matrix, explaining its importance, describing its application, discussing its relevance to the community of people with disabilities and providing a step-by-step guide for developing the matrix.
Samuel P.O.V. Macauley explained that the Stakeholders/Service Providers Mapping with Interest and Influence/Power Matrix is a tool that helps organizations identify, analyze and manage their stakeholders or service providers. “It provides an overview of who has a stake in the organization’s activities, their level of interest and their ability to influence or exert power over them,” he said.
He added that the importance of the matrix lies in its ability to enable organizations to understand the complex web of relationships surrounding their work, identify potential allies and opponents, prioritize engagement efforts, develop effective communication strategies, and anticipate and mitigate risks.
Samuel P.O.V. Macauley stated that the matrix can be used in various ways, including planning and implementing projects, managing change initiatives, resolving conflicts, evaluating performance, and developing strategic partnerships.
He emphasized its relevance to the community of people with disabilities, stating that it helps identify key stakeholders and service providers who support their rights and needs. “It helps in understanding the interest and influence of these stakeholders, prioritizing engagement efforts, developing effective communication strategies, and anticipating risks that may hinder the progress of disability-related initiatives,” he noted.
Macauley maintained that the step-by-step guide for developing the matrix involves identifying stakeholders or service providers, assessing their level of interest and influence/power, plotting them on the matrix, analyzing the results, developing engagement strategies, monitoring and updating the matrix, and using the insights gained to inform decision-making.
Commenting on behalf of the partner organizations, Alie Turay, Program Manager of the Sierra Leone Autistic Society, expressed appreciation to One Family People for organizing the workshop on stakeholders and service providers mapping. He described the workshop as crucial for identifying stakeholders with interest and power over their activities.
He emphasized the significance of their projects, noting that identifying stakeholders with interest and power would facilitate collaboration and enhance their success.
The Program Manager praised the data provided by One Family People as commendable and stated that partner organizations would ensure regular input into the data to include any institutions or individuals that might be overlooked.
