“Building on Solid Ground” earns its title. It’s practical, honest, and timely—written with a clarity that respects your time. If you work in Africa’s civil society space, this book belongs on your shelf. It offers both a foundation to build on and a mirror to grow by. Simply put, it’s a good read, and one I’m proud to recommend.
Every organization starts with a reason, though not every founder pauses to ask what that reason really is. Jude Ilo sets out to help those of us in Africa’s civil society space build on something stronger than good intentions. What struck me most as I read his latest effort, “Building on Solid Ground: Primer on Resilience and Sustainability of CSOs in Africa,” was its clarity and accessibility. It felt like sitting across from a professor who breaks down how things actually work on the ground. The book doesn’t shy away from the real issues CSOs face—leadership, people management, accountability, and sustainability.
The first part examines why we set up organizations and the different reasons people do so, using well-chosen case studies that are easy to learn from. Instead of taking the decision to start an organization for granted, Jude asks you to think about the reason behind it, because that reason shapes everything that follows. From there, the book moves into the real work of strategy.
As someone responsible for strategy in my own organization, I found chapters two, three, and four especially helpful. They break down the who, how, and what of building a strategy in a practical, easy-to-apply way. One point stayed with me: Jude explains how many organizations in Africa struggle to set specific objectives, often because they want to keep their positioning broad enough to attract a wider range of funding. It’s an honest take on a very real struggle, and how plainly he states it is one of the things I love about this book.
The second part turns to how we hold an organization together once it’s up and running. This is where I found myself nodding most often. I like how he asks us to look inward and honestly check ourselves against the way we actually operate—something we rarely make time to do. He writes clearly about accountability and oversight, and his point about building guardrails to keep our own power in check is one every leader should take to heart.
The fourth part of the book is my favorite, and it couldn’t have come at a better time. At a moment when civic space is shrinking and many organizations struggle with limited resources, this part is full of practical lessons that speak directly to the pressures we face. His call to focus on real results and stop leaning on polished social media packaging rings true. It’s a discipline our sector too easily loses sight of.
He’s just as clear about the need for strong management controls and the real role of a board, which he treats as a true pillar of good governance. What he says about bureaucracy strikes a personal chord. As someone who has at times been accused of being bureaucratic, it reassures me that structure has its place—and that the real work is balancing it with the flexibility an organization needs to keep moving. The book is full of lessons like this, and I’ve already started using some to strengthen governance in my own organization.
The third part, built around the idea that the employee is king, is an area I read with quiet pride. Jude makes a strong case for investing in the growth of the people who carry the work. His reminder that organizations thrive when they truly invest in their people speaks to something I believe strongly, because I’ve seen firsthand that when you take care of the people doing the work, they take care of everything else. This is one area where I feel able to give my own organization a high score, because investing in our people and building a strong sense of community has always been something we hold dear. It felt good reading a chapter that affirms this, in a book that otherwise keeps pushing you to do better. What makes these lessons stick is how he keeps using practical case studies, so you always have something real to learn from.
The final part turns to branding and credibility building, and it works well as a summary that pulls the whole book together. I’ll admit I find this part daunting, because I generally shy away from networking—maybe due to my personality. Reading it, I see this as something I’ll have to work on. There’s real value in a book that holds up a mirror and shows you where your own growth lies.
One line here has stayed with me: “Innovation is the only effective response to an environment where the forces of retrogression are constantly fine-tuning their craft.” In a sector where the challenges we fight keep evolving, we can’t afford to stand still while the things working against progress keep sharpening their tools. He also writes honestly about understanding the funding landscape and the frustrations that come with it, and about how building strategic relationships can carry an organization through leaner times.
“Building on Solid Ground” earns its title. It’s practical, honest, and timely—written with a clarity that respects your time. If you work in Africa’s civil society space, this book belongs on your shelf. It gives you both a foundation to build on and a mirror to grow by. Simply put, it’s a good read, and one I’m proud to recommend.
Ijeoma Dove-Oforka is a public health professional and the Chief Operating Officer at Connected Development (CODE).
