• 'Capacity development is the process by which individuals, organisations, institutions and societies develop abilities (individually and collectively) to perform functions, solve problems and set and achieve objectives' (UNDP).
• Capacity is ‘the ability of an organisation to function as a resilient, strategic and autonomous entity’ (Allan Kaplan, The Developing of capacity, CDRA).
• ‘... the ultimate goal of capacity development programs is to support the development of better skilled and oriented individuals, more responsive and effective institutions and a better policy environment for pursuing development objectives. A key message is the importance of going beyond mere skills transfer towards supporting country leadership and strategic decision-making, accountability systems, and a culture of learning and innovation. ... Capacity development is as much about skills and systems as it is about incentives and behavior; much more than a technical exercise, capacity development is rooted in the political economy of a country ...’ (World Bank ).
• Capacity ‘has four dimensions’ (Liebler and Ferri):

o External capacity areas – needed for effective interactions with the wider institutional and societal contexts;
o Internal capacity areas – relevant for the internal functioning of the system;
o Technical capacity areas – essential to the work, area of specialisation, profession, etc., of the organisation or network;
o Generative, or ‘soft’, capacities – needed to enable the organisation or network continuously to develop, adapt and innovate.