Strategic sector cooperation: A model rooted in knowledge sharing and cross-border teamwork

“The peer-to-peer collaboration and the capacity development aspect of the Strategic Sector Cooperation programme are what make it a sustainable partnership initiative,” say Kamilla Henningsen, sector counsellor, and Erick Ogallo, programme officer, at the Danish Embassy in Kenya.

By Vibeke Quaade

When Denmark introduced its Strategic Sector Cooperation (SSC) programme in 2015, it was met with a mix of optimism and scepticism. A decade later, the criticism has largely faded and SSC has become a cornerstone of Denmark’s collaboration with African nations. The Africa Century Strategy highlights SSC as a model of equal partnerships, stating, “The Africa strategy will lead to more of these collaborations” (p. 11).

Kenya has been involved in SSC since its inception and participates in five key sectors: energy, food, maritime, water, and the environment and circular economy. The latter is in its third phase (2025-27) and, since its beginning in 2016, it has contributed to a series of important legislative and practical achievements in Kenya. These include the development of the Kenya Sustainable Waste Management Act (2022), the Extended Producer Responsibility Regulation (2024) and the promotion of circular business models. Danish partnerships, such as those made with the Kenyan Association of Manufacturers (KAM), facilitate technological innovations that drive the waste reduction and resource efficiency that Kenya wants.

Kamilla Henningsen, sector counsellor, and Erick Ogallo, programme officer, at the Danish Embassy in Nairobi, both work with the Danish-Kenyan environmental and circular economy sector programme. When asked about the programme’s greatest asset, they agree. Its core strength lies in peer-to-peer collaboration, where Danish authorities in a given sector work directly with their counterparts in the partner country.

The power of collaboration
“We see it every day when technical staff from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency, collaborate with their Kenyan counterparts in the National Environment Management Authority. A collaborative and inspirational environment has emerged and together they are driven by genuine interest, focusing on problem solving and creating solutions,” explains Kamilla.

Erick adds, “The strength of the SSC approach is that, although everything we do strictly adheres to Kenya’s national environmental strategic objectives, the work we do together is not based on hierarchies or power dynamics. Instead it allows relevant technical teams to collaborate freely and develop solutions based on their professional expertise.”

This partnership-driven model is embedded in all SSC programme designs, ensuring they are needs-driven and focused on areas where Denmark can offer specific expertise that aligns with the development priorities of partner countries. For example, Kenya has ambitious goals in waste management, an area where Denmark has extensive experience.

Sustainability built into the programme
In addition to the peer-to-peer learning, Kamilla and Erick emphasise that sustainability is another vital element in the SSC approach. It is not an afterthought but it is built into the programme’s structure, a key component being capacity building. Through learning programmes such as “The Green and Circular Economy” and “Water Sector Governance”, Danida Fellowship Centre has been instrumental in building the capacity of over 1000 Kenyan partners of the SSC programmes since 2017.

“The learning programmes are a huge asset to the sector programmes,” says Erick. “True sustainability is giving partners something they can’t lose. Once knowledge is shared and learned, it can drive lasting change.”

Erick points to the development of Kenya’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) regulation as an example of the programme’s lasting impact. EPR holds producers responsible for the entire lifecycle of their products, including recycling and disposal. Erick explains that the Kenyan participants who took part in Danida Fellowship Centre’s Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) learning programme in 2023 ultimately played an important role in driving the adoption of this regulation in Kenya. Erick sees this as a sustainable outcome of the SSC project.

“A regulation, once in place, lasts generations. Knowledge shapes outcomes.  Lasting impact comes from knowledge that is put into use,” Erick says.

Building on success and looking to the future
While Kenyan partners benefit directly from the programme, Danish participants also gain from the collaboration. Working closely with their Kenyan counterparts challenges Danish experts to reflect on, and sometimes rethink, their own approaches and policies. Kamilla recalls a delegation visit that focused on environmental auditing where the Danish participants, inspired by Kenya’s approach, suggested that they should take a slightly stricter approach to private company compliance in Denmark. She adds,

“Kenya also has a long tradition – driven by necessity – of recycling and reusing materials and products in creative ways that can be inspiring for both Danish consumers and producers.”

All in all, there is much to be gained from this reciprocal exchange, which extends beyond government officials to the wider research community. In addition to drawing on a specific organisation’s expertise and knowledge, partners can also draw on the expertise of the research community, including Danida-supported collaborative research projects between Danish and Kenyan researchers. While the current SSC programme is set to conclude after its third phase in 2027, Kamilla and Erick are already laying the groundwork for a possible continuation.

“The circular economy and waste management programmes have already benefited from collaborative research projects between Danish and Kenyan researchers and, with this in mind, we are seeing a growing need to foster innovation in circular economy and waste management,” says Kamilla.

They have therefore set themselves a new task. They want to map the research gaps within Kenya’s circular economy and in this way help establish stronger links between the two countries’ universities.

Their efforts may align well with the next chapter of Denmark’s partnership with Kenya. As part of the Africa’s Century strategy, the Danish government is set to establish a regional innovation centre in Kenya, the first of its kind on the continent. Denmark has already seven such centres globally, with the purpose of helping Danish companies and research institutions to access foreign knowledge, networks, technology, capital and market opportunities. If the result of the mapping exercise taken on board in the future, it could further strengthen the ties between Denmark and Kenya, paving the way for even deeper knowledge sharing and cross-border learning and collaboration.

As of February 2025, 738 partners of Denmark in Kenya have participated in Danida Fellowship Centre’s learning programmes since 2017. The distribution across the different sector programmes is as follows: Food Safety (340), Energy (21), Maritime (5), Environment (Circular Economy and Waste management) (352), Environment (Water) ( 20)

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