{"id":237,"date":"2016-02-24T11:03:14","date_gmt":"2016-02-24T11:03:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bridge4.qodeinteractive.com\/?p=237"},"modified":"2026-07-06T17:38:05","modified_gmt":"2026-07-06T17:38:05","slug":"undp-innovation-unit-sao-tome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/astronomos.studio\/en\/undp-innovation-unit-sao-tome\/","title":{"rendered":"UNDP: Innovation Unit Sao Tome"},"content":{"rendered":"

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The Challenge<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”transparent” up=”25″ down=”0″][vc_column_text css=””]As S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe celebrates its 50th year of independence, the island nation stands at a crossroads. This milestone offers a profound opportunity to reflect on the country’s triumphs and chart an ambitious course for the next half-century.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Yet the moment carries urgency. Nearly 1 in 5 Santomeans now live abroad, and 68% of young people are considering leaving to seek opportunities elsewhere. Economic challenges persist\u2014a third of the working-age population remains economically inactive, and nearly half the country lives on less than $3.65 a day.<\/span><\/p>\n

When UNDP undertook deep listening with citizens across S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9, what emerged wasn’t just concern about jobs or income. Beneath these visible challenges lay something more fundamental: <\/span>the need to strengthen the social fabric that could inspire citizens to stay and build a thriving future together<\/b>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Traditional development approaches\u2014often siloed, isolated programmes, duplicated resources\u2014aren’t just inefficient. They’re fundamentally mismatched to the complexity of the challenge.\u00a0<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”transparent” up=”25″ down=”0″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][vc_column_text css=””]Services:<\/strong> Systems Change, Innovation, Training, Facilitation, Program Design<\/p>\n

Sectors:<\/strong> Gender, Climate Change<\/p>\n

2024- Ongoing<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” padding_top=”30″ z_index=””][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

Our Approach<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”transparent” up=”25″ down=”0″][vc_column_text css=””]UNDP\u2019s Digital, AI and Innovation Hub (DAI) brought me in to co-design and facilitate their first <\/span>systems change portfolio approach<\/b><\/a> in S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Pr\u00edncipe\u2014a pioneering methodology that addresses complex challenges through coordinated, multi-intervention strategies rather than isolated projects. <\/span>The portfolio seeks to catalyse a transformative change in the way S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9ans view their futures and the future of their country\u2014as deeply interconnected and paving the way for a development agenda that is green, innovative, abundant, inclusive, participatory and just.<\/b><\/p>\n

Drawing on over a decade of experience facilitating systems change processes globally, I spent two intensive weeks with UNDP and over 70 stakeholders from across government, civil society, and international organizations in S\u00e3o Tom\u00e9 and Principe in April 2025. This wasn’t a standard workshop series\u2014it was an immersive capacity-building and co-design process that fundamentally shifted how participants understand their work and their country’s challenges. This was the key moment in a two year collaboration that is ongoing.<\/span><\/p>\n

The work creates impact through three integrated approaches:<\/b><\/p>\n

Systems Change Facilitation:<\/b> We guide diverse actors\u2014ministries of Labour, Finance, Education, Environment, Health, Justice; NGOs; social entrepreneurs; UN agencies\u2014through rigorous systems mapping exercises. We don’t just chart symptoms; we excavate root causes, unpacking the invisible mental models keeping the system stuck.<\/span><\/p>\n

Portfolio Co-Design:<\/b> Rather than predetermined solutions, we facilitate the emergence of <\/span>five strategic focus areas<\/b> that together form an integrated portfolio: National Identity & Vision for the Future; Green Transition; Abundant Futures; A Life Free of Violence; The First 1000 Days. Each area builds on existing work while creating intentional connections across sectors.<\/span><\/p>\n

Capacity Building:<\/b> We train participants in systems thinking methodologies and deep listening techniques, including the design and implementation of a training programme for staff in the government’s new Integrated Service Units. The curriculum\u2014”Connecting the Dots: Systemic Thinking and Deep Listening for Integrated Service Delivery”\u2014equips frontline workers to hear what citizens really need, map interconnections across services, and share learning across agencies.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”transparent” up=”25″ down=”0″][\/vc_column][vc_column width=”1\/3″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row css_animation=”” row_type=”row” use_row_as_full_screen_section=”no” type=”grid” angled_section=”no” text_align=”left” background_image_as_pattern=”without_pattern” z_index=””][vc_column width=”2\/3″][vc_column_text css=””]<\/p>\n

The Impact<\/h1>\n

[\/vc_column_text][vc_separator type=”transparent” up=”25″ down=”0″][vc_column_text css=””]The portfolio now guides coordinated action across five strategic areas, with four new interventions being co-designed and launched:<\/span><\/p>\n