AFAP’s approach to governance issues in Africa is to accept the premise that good governance means competent management of a country’s resources and affairs in a manner that is open, transparent, accountable, equitable and responsive to people’s needs.

Numerous studies have confirmed that the quality of governance and people’s incomes are strongly correlated. Sound governance enables greater gains in poverty reduction and a more equitable distribution of the benefits of development.

Without good governance basic services are less likely to be delivered efficiently and equitably to the poor, the benefits of humanitarian relief are constrained, and further crises can be expected.

Good governance is a requirement not only of central government agencies but also the service delivery areas of local government, local administrations, civil society and the private sector.

AFAP’s interventions in Africa are supporting civil society, including non-government and community-based organizations to enhance their engagement with government and increase their capacity to deliver basic services.

It is an approach which recognises that a strong and active civil society is an essential complement to national governance initiatives.

Strong societies can only develop when individuals and groups are adequately resourced, trained and enabled to play active roles at all levels of society.

AFAP believes that ‘bottom-up’ capacity building should go beyond organising basic service-delivery mechanisms to strengthening the participatory nature of local groups, encouraging greater community access and ownership of local assets and supporting initiatives that enable local groups to have an impact at broader levels of society.