Obidimma C. Ezezika
Sandra Rotman Centre, University Health Network and University of Toronto, African Centre for Innovation and Leadership Development, and Dalla Lana School of Public Health, University of Toronto
Jennifer Deadman, Jillian Murray, and Justin Mabeya
Sandra Rotman Centre, University Health Network and University of Toronto
Abdallah S. Daar
Sandra Rotman Centre, University Health Network and University of Toronto, Dalla Lana School of Public Health and Department of Surgery, University of Toronto

In this article, we explain the critical role of trust in the effective management of public-private partnerships (P3s). Through a literature review of P3 management and a case study of developing and applying a social audit model to an agricultural biotechnology project in sub-Saharan Africa, we demonstrate how distrust undermines the effectiveness of P3s and the added value of building trust in such projects. The principles of the model and outcomes of improved transparency, management, and accountability in the project are described. We explain how the model and lessons learned from its application to the agricultural biotechnology project are transferable to effective management practices and trust-building in other P3s.

Key words: Agricultural biotechnology, development, ethics, management, public-private partnerships, P3s, social audit model, trust.