Two Years of RANA

Reimagining and catalysing collective action towards Africa’s resilience

Two years ago, on the sidelines of the 3rd Conference on Public Health in Africa (CPHIA) in Lusaka, and in partnership with rani, Resilience Action Network Africa (RANA) launched with a simple but powerful conviction: Africa’s resilience must be shaped by African voices, driven by African priorities, and sustained through African leadership.

As we mark our second anniversary, we celebrate not just a young and fiercely ambitious network but also the movement that has grown around it. A movement that has stepped into some of the most complex crises of our time: epidemics, climate shocks, geopolitical tensions, shrinking development financing, and the persistent inequities that undermine the continent’s ability to withstand future shocks.

It has not been an easy road. But, it has been a bold one. And bold is exactly what Africa needs.

Navigating shifting ground

The last two years have been punctuated by turbulence — the kind that tests institutions, leadership, and the very purpose of a network designed for resilience.

From disease outbreaks such as mpox to changes in global governance and from dramatic shifts in foreign aid to exits in traditional development financing, Africa’s resilience landscape transformed almost overnight. ODA cuts from the U.S., U.K., and key European partners forced the continent to confront the fragility of relying on external financing.

RANA has stepped up to the challenge

We’ve recognised shocks not as setbacks but as catalysts — a call for new models of African-led advocacy, new partnerships, and new strategies to finance the continent’s human development agenda.

Whether coordinating Africa-wide civil society platforms on development financing, driving Pandemic Agreement advocacy, or elevating community priorities into multilateral processes, RANA has leaned into drive resilience priorities with clarity and conviction.

Growing a networked movement for change

The RANA network has grown into a continental presence with national working groups in Uganda, South Africa, and Kenya; a thriving Africa-wide platform; and a growing ecosystem of partners working at the intersection of health systems, climate resilience, financing, gender, food systems, and governance.

Our monthly working group meetings have become an essential space for co-creation and agenda-setting, advancing cross-sectoral collaboration, aligning advocacy efforts across sectors, and strengthening civil society’s ability to meaningfully influence policy.

Along the way, we helped shape Africa’s position on pertinent issues including Africa’s Common Position on climate and health, development financing, the Pandemic Agreement and Pathogen Access and Benefits Sharing (PABS), and the health agenda during the recent South Africa’s G20 presidency among others.

Partnership and leadership of purpose for resilience

RANA’s growth has been fuelled by a purpose-driven partnership with rani (Resilience Action Network International). Rani’s steadfast allyship has enabled coordinated advocacy across Africa while also achieving global connections and influence. This has included leading the Africa CSO Platform on IDA21 replenishment, co-chairing civil society efforts on the Pandemic Agreement, issuing joint high-impact statements, driving Africa-wide mpox coordination, and amplifying unified African voices at key global moments including the UN General Assembly, G20, and the 4th International Conference on Financing for Development. RANA and rani continue to work in lockstep on our shared objectives — our RANA-rani partnership is one that demonstrates the power of aligned values, collective leadership, and networked advocacy in a shifting global landscape.

A standout example of this is rani’s discussion paper on Reframing Resilience, which was informed by RANA leadership and partners among others. The paper frames a resilience agenda that is fit-for-purpose by prioritising systems performance and human security, strengthening core systems, and embedding equity as a foundational principle.

RANA’s strength is in our network and partners who work every day to translate community-level insights in pointed policy and advocacy action and bolster resilience through frontline surveillance. We are proud that our network of partners continues to grow to co-create solutions, and define shared pathways to address interconnected challenges. We are also grateful to our small but mighty team and our committed team of RANA board members led by Professor Ruth Onian’go, whose wise counsel and stewardship have kept us grounded and focused in the past two years.

A future built on resilience, equity, and African leadership

As we celebrate two years, we also look ahead. The next phase of RANA’s growth is clear:

• Drive national-level advocacy grounded in community priorities
• Champion Africa’s leadership in defining and shaping resilience agenda across strategic priority issues including development financing, health systems, R&D, climate change, nature-based solutions, food systems and gender
• Co-create new models for sustainable, African-led resilience financing
• Strengthen and scale national working groups across the continent
• Build a sustainable organisational model to match our expanding mandate

Our eyes remain firmly on the horizon, where we envision a continent with resilient health systems, climate-proofed communities, fair financing mechanisms, and governance structures that centre people over politics.