Marking One Year of RANA Impact

One year ago in Lusaka, we gathered with more than 30 initial partners and cross-sector leaders to launch an African civil society (CSO) advocacy network to bring African-led solutions, informed by African needs, and driven by African leadership. 

One year in and now 60+ CSO partners strong, I’m proud that RANA’s value proposition has been overwhelmingly validated. RANA is a convener across climate, finance, food systems, gender, health systems, and R&D to drive Africa’s resilience agenda. The impact of our efforts to strengthen resilient health systems and connect local and regional priorities to influence global processes is proving the power of cross-sectoral collaboration and networked advocacy.

RANA’s network has delivered on our promise across a range of issues in our foundational year:

On finance, RANA has focused on elevating Africa’s resilience priorities in global processes. In March, RANA began coordinating development partners, catalysed by the International Development Association’s (IDA) Africa Heads of State Summit — a key opportunity as IDA is the largest source of grants and low-cost loans for the world’s 75 poorest countries, 39 of which are in sub-Saharan Africa. Together with partners, we developed a call to African ministers and IDA shareholders to leverage the World Bank Group-IMF Annual Meetings opportunity for a robust IDA21 replenishment that addresses Africa’s needs.

RANA then moved swiftly to mobilise our network to address the mpox emergency at a regional and global level. Before the mpox public health emergency was even declared, RANA joined partners to call for leaders to take action. Since the initial crisis response, RANA has created a biweekly convening for coordinated action to advocate for a rapid, equitable response to the mpox emergency and resilient health systems, producing a call to action to G20 leaders. To inform priority recommendations for African and global leadership, RANA is also supporting regular analysis of mpox trackers. 

As we know, Africa is the continent most vulnerable to climate change. RANA is actively connecting the climate, health, and gender resilience agendas by consistently advocating for One Health approaches and an overhaul of the global financial system and emergency response strategies for Africa’s pandemic- and climate-resilient future. In October, RANA and partners convened experts to address what a gender-just climate transition should mean for health systems in Africa. Additionally, RANA has collaborated with Livewell Initiative partners to facilitate a series of Women of Africa Post Pandemic Empowerment Programme webinars targeting various African countries.

RANA is driving country-level action and building local-level movements. We started in Uganda, identifying Afya na Haki (AHAKI) as the RANA Uganda Working Group convenor. In September, we launched the RANA Uganda Working Group as the first country-level RANA extension, bringing a diverse group of partners together to take action and drive transformative advocacy. We are excited to stand up additional country-level working groups in 2025. 

On the global stage, RANA has been an active interlocutor — showing up to further African priorities in global settings with decision makers from around the world. For example, RANA has been steadfast in advocating in-person and behind-the-scenes for a transformative, enforceable, and equitable pandemic agreement. RANA also put the power of networked advocacy into the agreement negotiation process by co-hosting two community meetings to amplify civil society voices. This was paired by mobilising 80+ CSOs to call for the inclusion of existing human rights obligations in the final agreement text. 

Furthermore, to help get African voices heard, we have published articles in Nature and the Journal of Public Health in Africa, making a case for African leadership alongside the Africa CDC. Most recently, we’ve engaged the media around the pandemic agreement negotiations and the importance of equity provisions and the G20 Leaders’ Summit, communicating “the disconnect between recognition of global challenges and actual investment to address them.”

We are proud of the foundations we have built. But there is much work to be done, and our ambition this coming year is to:

• Build the depth and breadth of the RANA network: RANA aims to stand up additional country-level working groups. in 2025. Discussions are already underway with partners in Kenya, Rwanda Nigeria, Sierra Leone, and South Africa.
• Elevate African financing priorities: RANA and partners will focus on pushing for African development financing priorities in key fora such as the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development. 
• Capitalise on South Africa’s G20 leadership: The coming G20 offers a unique opportunity for Global South leadership to advance the resilience agenda.
• Amplify the climate & health connection to resilient health systems:  Africa remains most vulnerable to the twin threats of climate change and pandemics and the added threat of debt. RANA and partners will continue our call for investment in resilient health systems.

Ensuring an Africa that is more resilient to the challenges of today and tomorrow will take a network of partners working together. We look forward to what is to come and to continuing action alongside our partners. Please join us!