The success of international development projects, trust and communication: an African perspective

Project success is strongly linked to communication and cooperation between stakeholders. This research explores the relationship between trust and communication and tests the influence of these factors upon project success and success criteria for international development projects financed by multilateral institutions in sub-Saharan Africa. The research analyses the coordinators’ perceptions of project success, communication climate and interpersonal relationship between himself and his stakeholders (task manager in the multilateral agency, national supervisor) and within the project team. Data were collected from questionnaires completed by project coordinators of development projects. The statistical analysis confirms that trust and communication between players are proxy variables. Trust between the task manager and the coordinator is the key success factor, whereas team cohesion is the second most important factor. Trust between the coordinator and his national supervisor does not play a prominent role, although the task manager considers significant local autonomy for the coordinator a prerequisite for funding a subsequent phase when the project comes to an end.