At the end of February, we held our annual CoST Manager’s workshop. This three day event was an opportunity for our members across four continents to meet some of our partners and exchange knowledge. This workshop also helped the International Secretariat to better understand how we can support our members in their work of enhancing infrastructure transparency, participation and accountability. 

The workshop was followed by the annual rendition of the CoST Awards to recognise and celebrate our members’ successes. We spoke to our member managers about what they enjoyed and learned from the workshop. 

Enhancing knowledge to increase global impact

Sessions covered topics such as documenting impact; our tools, standards and frameworks; AI; sustainable infrastructure; internal learning; our international partnerships; independent review and publication of data; member plans and more. 

Aida Martinez, CoST Panama Manager stated “This space not only allowed us to share experiences and strengthen our knowledge in a practical way, but also to reflect on planning with an impact-driven approach, beyond just activities.”

Geoffrey Odong, Manager of CoST Uganda told us some of the sessions he enjoyed the most and why. “The great efforts in enhancing data publication by Evelyn Hernandez can’t be underestimated because data is power. A video clip from Melina San Martín spoke volumes about the ways of communicating impact, and that inspired donors. I was impressed with all the techniques used by different facilitators. The Infrastructure Transparency Index (ITI) is my niche focus.”

CoST Sekondi Takoradi (STMA) Manager, Isaac Aidoo, also highlighted learning about the ITI, describing the tool as “one of the best tools to access the transparency and capabilities to be transparent in public infrastructure over time and provide the necessary recommendations for improvement.” 

Continuing to discuss his workshop experience, Isaac said “The workshop delivered its main goal of equipping managers with the skills and knowledge we need. I upgraded my knowledge on how to determine impact, outcomes, outputs and activities, and the underlying conditions that need to exist for change to happen. My knowledge on the stages of the infrastructure project life cycle has been enhanced.” 

Marisol Castro, CoST Costa Rica Manager, resonated with the sessions focused on impact too, sharing “the discussion on the theory of change and the shared learning with other members reinforced the importance of structured and sustainable strategies to drive transparency in infrastructure.” 

Agnes Teresa Pedro from CoST Mozambique, who joined remotely said “The energy transcended the room. There was so much to learn, from how the International Secretariat organized the event and structured the workshop to the insightful interactions and learning sessions with the Managers. I deeply appreciate the experience and the knowledge shared.”

CoST Thailand Manager, Channon Chammankit said “The workshop provided us with new knowledge, experiences and memories.”

Jeremiah Tara, CoST Kaduna Manager said “The most interesting moment for me was the session focused on factors that influence success. Some of the factors included political support; diverse networks; technical capacity and institutionalizing reforms through enabling laws. This is consistent with Kaduna State joining of CoST and development of the Open Contracting for Infrastructure Data Standard (OC4IDS). The need to adopt and adapt the use of artificial intelligence is key, as is the need to scale up the ITI because of its huge potential. There were a lot of notable ways to achieve impact in our work as Managers.”

Mutual learning 

Many of our members noted the importance of having the opportunity to learn from, and connect with, each other. 

Imam Putrajaya from West Lombok said “Each member has its own unique approach to achieving the same goal, and their journeys toward successful initiatives were truly inspiring.” Agnes agreed with this too, sharing “Hearing the success stories of the managers, along with how they overcame challenges, was incredibly valuable. Mozambique is truly fortunate to be part of CoST.”

Aida echoed this sentiment, calling the workshop “a key opportunity for managers to exchange ideas, network, and engage in meaningful discussions with the International Secretariat, reinforcing our learning and strategic alignment for the coming years.”

Isaac described it as a “privilege to be part of this gathering of intellectuals in the infrastructure sector from different backgrounds and continents across the globe.”

The importance of understanding how CoST’s tools and standards can be applied in different context was noted by members, with CoST El Salvador Chairperson, Julia Lainez, saying “listening to the progress and experiences of other countries has been very enriching, as it allows us to learn what can be applied in different contexts.”

Marisol had the same view. “The exchange of experiences with teams implementing open data platforms using OC4IDS has provided key insights on how to adapt best practices to our context, optimising the publication and use of information to strengthen accountability.” 

In line with the Safari-themed CoST Africa session, Lyford Gideon, Manager of CoST Malawi told us “Nothing compares to the time I spent with fellow Managers and the CoST family. The CoST Managers workshop was like a pride of lions re-strategizing on how best to hunt (read: get results) with our work in various countries. The gathering was quite energising and gave us a sense of belonging to a team determined to bring positive change through infrastructure transparency leading to stronger economies and better lives. I can’t ask for a better challenge than this!”

Next steps for our members

Our members told us how they’ll apply what they learned during the workshop to their own contexts. 

Aida said that the workshop had provided valuable learnings to implement in CoST Panama. “I’ve taken several ideas for a new commitment on infrastructure transparency for the next Open Government Action Plan, as well as key insights and clarity to develop CoST Panama’s first independent review process. I also gained valuable best practices and models for the dashboards we aim to create for CoST Panama.” 

Marisol shared a similar answer, saying “My great experience in this new global CoST managers’ workshop has been a valuable learning lesson for the implementation of the CoST Costa Rica action plan.”

Geoffrey told us that CoST Uganda’s future has “a ray of light ahead, but that requires proper documentation of impact. I hope as managers, we will double our efforts toward this angle. Navigating the changing external environment is notably key as we reflect on the drivers of success for the priorities set with an ambitious outlook. A clear understanding of the theory of change will greatly influence how I develop grant proposals.”

Imam expressed “The insights I learned will greatly contribute to our planning in West Lombok. The workshop made me realize that our efforts are invaluable in creating better infrastructure for everyone.”

Jermiah highlighted how CoST’s tools, and the sessions will further strengthen his work in Kaduna. “The managers workshop provided an opportunity to gain more knowledge about infrastructure transparency and accountability for better infrastructure outcomes in Kaduna State. It is important and a priority to continue presenting a value proposition that will sustain the factors for the success of CoST Kaduna. The utilization of tools discussed is important to achieve great results. I had the opportunity to meet with the Executive Director of CoST to learn more so I can do my part as a CoST Manager in Kaduna State to contribute to the results of CoST at a global level.” 

Julia, who joined remotely said “The knowledge acquired through training on different topics opens up possibilities for work and improves what we already do so we can produce better information that facilitates and encourages citizen oversight.”

CoST Awards

We held the 3rd rendition of the CoST Awards, during a gala dinner on the final night of the workshop. We’ll be sharing more about the night and these awards on our website soon. 

The biggest winner of the night was CoST Sekondi-Takoradi. Reflecting on their success, Issac said “I cannot discuss the week without talking about my experience of CoST Sekondi-Takoradi winning three awards including the Overall Outstanding Award named in Memory of Alfredo Cantero (1973-2019), a much-respected former CoST Board member.  Building networks and collaboration among like-minded partners has been the hallmark for our programme in Ghana, and this was recognised through the coveted prize we received. Establishing a constructive dialogue between government, private sector and civil society including the media is the surest way to work to improve the infrastructure sector governance in a country.”

We are really proud of all of our members for their continued work in strengthening infrastructure transparency, accountability and participation. We look forward to building on the work of this workshop, through future resources, training, tools and standards and more.