Written By: Nyambura Thiong’o- Country Coordinator, RELI Africa, Kenya Chapter.
Over the past 20 months, I have often started my day with the same question: How do you manage a network effectively? Some days, I feel confident and inspired; others, uncertain and overwhelmed.
My journey with the Regional Education Learning Initiative Africa (RELI Africa) began in 2017 when I worked at a member organisation. However, leading the Kenya chapter as the Country coordinator over the last year and a half has been a completely different experience. With 24 autonomous organisations and 72 active representatives, building consensus and alignment is both intellectually demanding and emotionally complex. Unlike leading a single organisation with a shared strategy, network leadership requires the ability to inspire and influence, empathy, and trust. Most importantly, it requires agile and adaptable leadership skills to navigate complex relationships, balance diverse interests, and manage intricate situations with grace, insight, and decisive action.
You might think, I have led teams larger than that, what is the big deal? But the difference lies in the diversity of vision, structure, and accountability. Each organisation in RELI Africa has its own goals, culture, and ways of working. That diversity is our greatest asset, but also one of our biggest challenges. It has taught me that network leadership isn’t about control, but it’s about connection. In this blog, I share reflections on the lessons I have learned, the challenges faced, and the essential steps we must take to nurture the continued growth of networks.
What Research and Members Confirm
Networks don’t survive by accident. Global research consistently shows that sustainable networks adapt, deliver value, and maintain trust-based relationships. The most enduring networks evolve with their context, balance structure with flexibility, and foster mutual accountability[1].
In Africa, education networks like RELI Africa play a critical role in promoting research and innovation for equitable education[2] yet, they face unique challenges, including donor dependency, limited institutional support, shifting priorities among members and governments, and most importantly, the risk of competing with members, especially in a resource-poor context. To thrive, networks need intentional design, strong local leadership, and long-term investment, not just in programs, but in the people and organisations behind them.
Our October 2024 RELI Kenya Member Survey confirmed these realities. Members value community but highlighted competing institutional interests, unclear engagement, and misaligned capacity-building efforts. Sustainability, we learned, is not just longevity; it’s relevance and responsiveness.
Lessons managing RELI Africa, Kenya
Build Member Agency, not just activities
Members desire meaningful contributions rather than passive participation. We address this through rotational leadership roles that afford each member an opportunity to lead. Furthermore, the Collective Rising Institute Programme, a leadership development initiative, empowers country teams and members to lead from their purpose outward. Nurturing leaders enhances the network’s resilience.
Communicate with Intention and Purpose
While communication is generally effective, members noted gaps in timely feedback and clarity regarding collaboration. We have learned that communication in a network is not just about what is said, but how and when it is said. Over the past year, alongside the country’s leadership team, we have invested in straightforward, strategic communications, ensuring it is targeted, digestible, and two-way.
Prioritise relationships
Trust is the network’s invisible but essential infrastructure; it is the bedrock. Regular feedback loops, informal check-ins, and structured dialogue cultivate honesty and reflection. These relationships fuel collective agency, moving beyond parallel work to genuine collaboration. In my journey, I have learned the need to understand interpersonal and interorganizational relationship dynamics that either enhance or inhibit the relationships among network members.
Defining a clear identity is critical
As a Learning Initiative, RELI Africa leans into knowledge-sharing. Our Communities of Practice on Values and Life Skills, Learner-Centred Teaching, Equity and Inclusion, and Accountability help members generate and share learning. Slightly more than half of the RELI Kenya members joined the network seeking peer-to-peer Learning, which we continue to facilitate through monthly meetings and programmes like ALIVE and Equity in Education Technology.
Use Data and Evidence as a Compass
Data remains central. Collaborative projects help generate new evidence on members’ priority areas, which sharpens advocacy. For example, ALIVE started with three partners and now has grown to 13, mostly Kenyan organisations.
Challenges yet to be overcome
Competing Priorities
Members juggle organisational mandates alongside network commitments amid limited capacity.
Funding Constraints
Education funding is scarce, and networks like RELI sometimes seem to compete with members. Our survey called for a clear fundraising framework for both network and collaborative efforts.
Clarity of Engagement
Continuous communication is needed to clarify engagement structures, especially as member representatives often change.
Networks that work: A strategic investment in lasting change
For networks like RELI Africa to thrive, we must invest intentionally in the collective. This includes data and knowledge synthesis systems for learning and influence, effective communication tools, peer-to-peer learning spaces, continuous/periodic leadership development programmes, and succession planning. Most importantly, members must understand that networks complement, not compete with their efforts. Building members’ agency is also key to sustainability.
Networks are challenging to build, but when they work, they bring transformation. They reduce the likelihood of investment in the same gaps; drive systemic change from the ground up and amplify the voices of the marginalised.
Leading RELI Africa Kenya has deepened my conviction in the power of collective action. Building a network is both a craft and a strategy which, when done well, its impact far exceeds the sum of its parts. Investing in a network is not just funding activities; it’s nurturing relationships, trust, leadership, and long-term influence. It leverages the diverse strengths of partners to extend reach, improve efficiency, and deliver greater impact for the children we serve.
[1] https://www.researchgate.net/publication/356504018_Network_Dynamics_and_Organizations_A_Review_and_Research_Agenda
[2] https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v10y2023i1d10.1057_s41599-023-02138-3.html
