Globally, the human rights movement continues to multiply and congregate. Groups based in the global North and South are interacting more closely and developing partnerships that seek to add more value to their work. African rights groups need to consciously strategize and periodically review these strategies to benefit fully from the dividends of internationalisation. This will enable them to collaborate on equal footing with international groups implementing human rights activities in Africa.
Clearly, an African strategy should focus greatly on the needs, wants and aspirations of the African populace. However, it should also adapt to emerging trends as well as threats in order to maximise opportunities and mitigation strategies. This will lead to stronger organisations and investment in long-term sustainability, improving local groups’ legitimacy and relevance.
The “gaps”
Many advocates focus so much on securing continuous funding streams without looking at the broader issues of organisational and operational capacity, identity and programmatic impact. The first—and main—challenge in strengthening local groups is the insufficient number of skilled advocates to effectively implement programmes and develop the capacity to influence policy processes. A robust and vibrant rights group with an international outlook should have the capacity to remain resilient to pursue its programmes in the face of the changing local or global landscape. But many of these groups have a poor leadership culture and weak succession planning agenda. Therefore when the “founder” moves on, there is a high risk of the institution disappearing. These groups also exist and function within an increasingly restrictive political, legal and operating environment. Additionally, insufficient organisational, technical and financial sustainability strategies mean that local human rights groups have less effective long-term plans, as recently articulated by Wanja Muguongo. All of these are critical compounding factors that slow down the contributions of local human rights groups on the continent.
