Mokoro : About Us
Our approach
Mokoro has a distinctive approach. We see our principal role as assisting in the process of change. We are sensitive to the links between political, economic and social issues and between nation, community, family and individual. We value participation in research, policy-making and feedback by those who will be affected by policy decisions and development interventions. We are proud of our strong ethical stance: we choose which consultancies we think are worthwhile because they will make real contributions to sustainable positive change, without being driven for profit.
Mokoro was set up in 1982 by a group of people who worked together as Overseas Development Institute (ODI) Fellows in Botswana in the 1970s. They shared a commitment to sustainable international development and poverty reduction. Twenty-seven years on, the Mokoro spirit of collaboration and professionalism is as strong as ever.
Our expertise and services
Mokoro’s experience cuts across sectors, issues and disciplines. We believe in the value of cross-learning that is facilitated by a multi-disciplinary approach.
Our extensive experience of working in partnership with national governments and other beneficiaries enables us:
- to provide practical, rather than theoretical, assistance;
- to incorporate the different environmental, social, and economic concerns in planning and design;
- to develop, where desired and appropriate, systems and procedures which build on rather than displace existing systems;
- to ensure that planning is based on realistic projections; and
- to facilitate consideration of sustainable options.
Our strengths
Mokoro’s excellence comes from our people. Our consultants are professionals with years of experience in their individual fields who specialise in supporting sustainable social and economic development and resource management. We have a large network of Associates that we know well and who we collaborate with on individual assignments.
We (and our clients) value our high standards, maintained through our quality support approach which ensures that we have nominated quality support expert(s) to advise and support every consultancy we undertake.
We also have considerable experience of collaborating with organisations, both in the North and South, that share our values and professional standards. We use our networks to ensure that the work we do is context sensitive and supportive of country ownership of development strategies and programmes.
Our office team based in Oxford, is highly experienced in project management and plays an important role in our successful management of both large and small assignments, providing contractual, logistical and editorial support.
Our clients
Mokoro works with a range of clients from around the world. These include international donors, development agencies, international financing institutions, country governments, international NGOs, private sector organisations, research institutions and universities.
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Where we work
Mokoro works globally and has in-depth experience in a number of countries.
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Meaning of Mokoro
Mokoro is the Setswana word for the type of dugout canoe used in the Okavango Delta. The name reflects our early associations with Botswana. The name was proposed by Stephen Lister:
"As group members we are all in the same boat, prepared to share a dug-out, paddling our own canoe and, it must be said, moving at a fairly leisurely pace. Like a mokoro the group had its roots in Botswana but is now drifting; we are poles apart from other bodies in the field, small-scale but manoeuvrable..." (1982)
Our website
We have relaunched our website in 2011 to showcase Mokoro’s expertise and experience. Credits to photography used in this website go to: Martin Adams, Philippa Bevan, Rebecca Carter, Catherine Dom, Elizabeth Daley, Anthea Gordon, Alice Hill, Frieda McAlear, Alula Pankhurst, and Ray Purcell.