Executive Summary
This Progress Report covers the period 2018 to 2022 – a period of challenges and change for the world, for Africa and for the Pan Africa Program (PAP). During that period the COVID-19 pandemic hit hard. Although Africa experienced fewer deaths and infections than had been anticipated, it spotlighted the shortcomings in the continent’s health systems, economic and political structures and the inequality of its relationships with global partners. This was most starkly evidenced in the global failure to ensure equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. But the pandemic also undid decades of positive development work and has left the continent poorer, more vulnerable and with less space for civil society to speak out.
This period began with a moment of hope
PAP’s 2019 ‘Rethinking Africa’ conference was an opportunity to confront not just the many challenges facing the continent but to reimagine Oxfam’s approach to tackling those challenges. We listened to some hard truths – as well as encouragement and endorsement – from our partners and with their steer have radically reconfigured our team and our ways of working.
A new unified way of working
Learning to do more with less, we are working in a less siloed way, with five thematic areas all working to a common set of objectives.
We are supporting and making space for our partners within African civil society to speak out for themselves and supporting them where they need us to do so.