Les intermédiaires en développement en Afrique subsaharienne : analyse comparative de Cotonou et de Lomé

This dissertation focuses on individuals in local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) who, in the current configuration of international development, act as relays or intermediaries between international donors and recipient populations in sub-Saharan Africa. By analyzing the careers of 32 female and male "leaders" in NGOs in Cotonou (Benin) and Lomé (Togo), the dissertation aims to understand the social processes through which these individuals become intermediaries in the development arena. The research mobilizes a theoretical approach that combines the actor-oriented perspective in socio-anthropology of development, the sociology of individuation and the life course paradigm. This thesis also takes a comparative approach, first, by contrasting the careers of development intermediaries from Benin with those from Togo, two countries that experienced in the 1990s and early 2000s opposite fates in terms of their relations with international donors. Also, the analysis compares two generations of intermediaries and contrast the experiences of male and female intermediaries. The analysis shows that, first, the Benin National conference of 1990 and the one in Togo in 1991 were turning points in the careers of intermediaries in both countries, by creating a supportive working environment for intermediaries in Benin, and, on the opposite, a deleterious context for those in Togo. However, over the past decade, these differences in working conditions have dwindled, and the challenges faced by intermediaries in both countries are once again similar; the current contexts are characterized by a limited state support, a very competitive and politicized working environment, a professionalization of the field, and a strong dependence toward external donors. Second, four types of intermediaries’ profiles at the time they enter the NGO sector emerged from the life history analysis: the "converted", the "new graduates of the 1990s," the "careerists" and the "activists". Generational comparison shows that the first two types best describe the intermediaries that started their activities before 2000, while "careerists" are mostly intermediaries from the younger post-2000 generation. The research also shows that in order to enter, and more importantly to "last", in the NGO sector these individuals use various political and associative networks and develop various strategies such as choosing a “fashionable” field of interest, remaining “visible”, and constantly seeking trainings in order to acquire “marketable” expertise. In addition, the analysis of women's professional trajectories revealed that while “pioneers” female intermediaries entered the male dominated NGO sector late in their life due to their familial obligations  and all worked in the area of women's rights, the experience of their younger counterparts are quite different. The latter work outside the traditional “gender” arena; and, although they also have difficulties reconciling work and family duties, they are not ready to give up their career, and they have very different perceptions of gender roles within the family than their older counterparts.

Keyphrases: ONG, Cotonou-Bénin, Lomé-Togo, Intermediation in development, development brokers, international aid, NGOs, African civil societies, life stories, career path, gender and development, work-family balance