Africa

African CSOs, Drpc Dialogue On Strengthening Africa’s Human, Environmental Health


The Development Research and Projects Centre (DRPC) joined other civil society groups from the African continent to dialogue on safeguarding and strengthening the role of civil society organisations in human and environmental health in Africa.

The groups met at the 6th Annual Association for Research on Civil Society in Africa (AROCSA) conference in Dakar, Senegal.

In a statement signed by the dRPC’s country director, Dr Judith-Ann Walker, the conference brought civil society groups from across the continent to discuss and proffer solutions to tackle the impact of practices, challenges and policies and how they are impacting on the continent’s human and environmental spaces.

In his keynote address at the conference, Professor Mamuoda Ndiaye of the University of Dakar, called on African civil society organisations to deepen the public health policy advocacy capacities and strategies.

“African civil society organisations are urged to ensure that governments shift health funding sources away from aid and loans and toward innovative domestic funding sources that prioritise health… .To achieve this goal, African civil society organisations (CSOs) need help strengthening their policy and budget advocacy skills.” he said

In her presentation, the director family health, Federal Ministry of Health, Dr Salam Anas Ibrahim, stated that: “Through a series of strategic engagements and partnerships, PAS has contributed to the launch of important policy documents such as the family planning Blueprint, FP2030 agenda, the Task shifting, and Task sharing policy and supported the implementation of maternal and child health interventions both at the National and subnational level”