AU WATCH

Development Assistance

“Our vision is an Africa free from the shackles of poverty and hopelessness. Agenda 2063 is not only a vision; it is a realisable program. By volunteering your time, expertise and fundraising talents you are helping fulfil a dream and a mission for 1.4 billion Africans.”

Feyi Ogunade

Who We Are

We are part of the AU Watch Development Program focusing on putting data-driven decision-making at the heart of development projects.

What We Do

We try to make a difference in the lives of people. We give practical assistance to the most vulnerable members of our communities. Whether we are participating in constructing a library or a girls training institute or litigating for the protection of LGBT rights in front of the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, or the Ecowas Court of Justice, our goal is to ensure that we make a difference to address regional challenges that demand AU attention and leadership. We provide practical help like grants, loans and technical assistance for projects benefiting the African youth, women and vulnerable communities. We assist the AU and its Member States to achieve the goal of serving vulnerable communities through sustainable community development.

We focus on building an Africa that invests in human security and where everyone shares the benefits of opportunity and growth.

What We Working on in 2020

  • Measuring progress of the poorest people in Africa based on Agenda 2063 indices
  • Humanitarian assistance and crisis finance
  • Development finance
  • Compiling a ‘State of the Union – Development’

STRUCTURE OF ‘STATE OF THE UNION’: DEVELOPMENT
TABLE OF CONTENTS

1. List of Tables
2. List of Figures
3. Preface
4. Introduction
5. Reasons for a Yearbook on Development in Africa
6. Overview of the AU’s Development Program:
7. The Assembly of the Union
8. New Partnership for Africa’s Development
African Peer Review Mechanism
9. Non-Governmental Organizations
10. Assessment / Analysis of the Development in the continent
11. Conclusion
12. Country Reports
13. Analysis
14. Conclusion

Our Expertise

AfCFTA: The main objectives of the AfCFTA are to create a single continental market for goods and services, with free movement of business persons and investments, and thus pave the way for accelerating the establishment of the Customs Union. It will also expand intra-African trade through better harmonization and coordination of trade liberalization and facilitation and instruments across the RECs and across Africa in general. The AfCFTA is also expected to enhance competitiveness at the industry and enterprise level through exploitation of opportunities for scale production, continental market access and better reallocation of resources.

Farming: Today, almost half of the world’s extreme poor live in sub-Saharan Africa. The vast majority work in agriculture. Our programs reduce poverty in many places in Africa by helping farmers grow more, sell more and sell for more.
o Data Analysis: We are able to cleanse, transform and model data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusion and supporting decision-making.We are skilled in quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, and adept at creating and using different methodological approaches to deliver richer insights.
Project Management: Project management is about knowing exactly what your goals are, how you’re going to achieve them, what resources you’ll need, and how long it will take you to reach that specific goal. In fact, project management’s goal is to make sure that everyone involved in a project knows these and is aware of the purpose of the project.We use project management best practice to ensure meticulous planning and execution of every stage of our project’s life-cycle.
Research and Policy Analysis: We commission research and analysis at the regional and local level. We know how to carry out state-of-the-art policy research leading to solutions to the challenges facing the AU and States Parties to the Constitutive Act. We also provide a forum for discussion among all stakeholders in the AU policy process and disseminate findings and views through a regular flow of publications and public events. By producing a variety of outputs, including edited volumes, policy and research briefs, guidelines and principles and reports of different kinds, we understand the best tactics and approaches to persuade, advise or inform our target stakeholders to drive change.
Media &Communications: We are experts in using the media to communicate our messages. We reach over a billion Africans every year, helping them make sense of events, engage in dialogue and take action to improve their lives. We support media and communication efforts that strengthen governance, and social justice.
Strategic Partnerships & Networking: Strategic partnerships and collaborations are the cornerstone of our progress at AU Watch. We have learned from experience — CSO work, the private sector, government, and non-profit global development work—that the biggest problems require big partnerships.We regularly collaborate to share skills, knowledge and experience with a range of organizations where we can support each other and both make greater progress than we could ever achieve alone. Over the years, we have worked with a diverse range of stakeholders including national and local governments, multilateral and bilateral agencies, research institutions, universities, civil society organizations and membership organizations. These players contribute their own perspectives, approaches, and expertise towards our shared vision of promoting the vision of Agenda 2063.

Our Special Focus on Women

AU believes that women’s empowerment and social and political capital are critical components to establish living incomes in communities. We also have seen first-hand the benefit of equity between men and women over control of assets, decision-making and labour.Working with local groups and other partners we remove barriers to women’s political and economic empowerment. For example, we create access to credit, basic productive resources, technical training and market opportunities

Our programs encourage women:

  • To take up leadership and decision-making roles in their communities;
  • Families, especially households led by women to educate all their children;
  • To own and run a business and earn living incomes;
  • Decision-making capacity regarding economic and natural; resources and their active participation in generating household economic resources;
  • To participate in our training on business education, human rights, gender equity and training on the rights of children.

Click here to read more on AU Watch projects on women and girls