The decade leading up to the second millennium saw increasing efforts to give new meaning and substance to the concept of an African renaissance. There have been endeavours to address the vast challenges facing the continent, be they coordination of humanitarian aid, development, socio-economic, peace and security or governance. To date, civil society has played a critical role in this movement, opening up spaces for new actors and voices. However, it is now imperative that African civil society is further empowered in its work, if it is to achieve its mission in furthering this African renaissance.
The humanitarian sector is undergoing a paradigm shift: in order to create a healthier global framework, African institutions must acquire greater ownership. This requires a commitment to developing African unity and solidarity and a strengthening of pan-African collaboration on the continent in order to enable indigenous organisations to play a greater role in addressing African challenges. African civil society must coordinate itself to address issues of concern and pool resources to allow more effective, appropriate and timely humanitarian aid. Enhanced pan-African coordination will facilitate an essential transformation of North-South relationships. Ultimately, by engaging, giving ownership to and renewing the commitment of indigenous organisations in humanitarian work, African civil society can deliver more efficient and cost effective responses. This will support African efforts to achieve sustainable solutions to the current challenges facing the continent.
African civil society organisations (CSOs) are unlikely to guarantee their participation on an equal footing in the international humanitarian space as individual organisations. Their best chance lies in a coordinated approach that pools resources. They have to present a united front that favours dialogue and collaboration facilitates African actors to formulate common positions that bring value to the humanitarian arena on the continent.
ACHA’s establishment was initiated at an international symposium entitled “Building the Capacity of African NGOs” co-organised with the African Union, which was held in Addis Abeba, Ethiopia in December 2004. The symposium (link to the symposium report and to the symposium papers) was a crucial step in addressing issues of resource identification for and the capacity building of African organisations active in enhancing human welfare on the continent. As a result, in alliance with African CSO leaders as well as interested parties in attendance at the symposium, Africa Humanitarian Action (AHA), a pan-African humanitarian CSO, was tasked with supporting ACHA’s foundation.
AHA (www.africahumanitarian.org) has been pivotal in ACHA’s establishment. Not only is AHA the inspiration for ACHA’s creation, but it has also provided the support necessary to bring ACHA into existence. AHA was launched by an Ethiopian physician in 1994 in response to the atrocities of the Rwandan genocide. More than a decade later AHA continues to provide life saving humanitarian assistance to refugees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and local communities across Africa. It is this experience that inspired the establishment of ACHA, building on the knowledge that there are sustainable African solutions to African challenges.
ACHA’s steering committee was formed as a result of the international symposium entitled “Building the Capacity of African NGOs.” The steering committee was comprised of representatives of African CSOs, international NGOs, intergovernmental agencies, foreign governments, universities, and the African private sector. This wide scale representation supports the interest that lies in enhancing and supporting African CSOs in the adoption of greater ownership over humanitarian action on the continent. See a list of organisations represented by members of ACHA’s Steering Committee.
