The Provision of Technical Assistance: A View from the Trenches

ABSTRACT An increasingly important component of development aid to the Third World has taken the form of technical assistance; that is, the provision of expatriate expertise to help with the implementation of development programs at national, regional, or local levels. Unfortunately, there has been little interest in the potential contribution that such implementers could make to either the policy making process or the development literature. This article seeks to remedy the situation by using the experience gained during the implementation of a large integrated rural development project in Zaire to discuss the role of this technical assistance in project success and the lessons learned from this experience, specifically: dealing with differing demands and expectations; the case for the management team strategy and the evolving teacher model; and the need to address sustainability head-on.