Harnessing Civil Society’s Role in Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Inclusive Development

A statement delivered by Catherine Mithia on behalf of the African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) at a 2025 Civil Society Organizations Event. The document advocates for the reform of the international financial architecture and the strengthening of civil society's role in ensuring Africa's capital is used for inclusive development, specifically addressing illicit financial flows and sustainable debt management.

• Africa possesses significant capital, including over 30% of global mineral reserves, and is projected to capture more than 10% of the estimated $16 trillion in green mineral revenues by 2030. However, the document asserts that biases and power imbalances in the international financial architecture hinder the continent's ability to mobilize and deploy this capital for inclusive development.
• Illicit financial flows and debt servicing create a severe fiscal drain on Africa, with annual losses to illicit flows estimated at $88.6 billion and debt servicing costs reaching nearly $163 billion. This financial pressure forces governments to adopt fiscal policies that negatively impact the poorest citizens and increase inequality.
• AFRODAD identifies several critical roles for civil society in making financial systems more accountable and fair, including advocating for sustainable public debt management, tracking public budgets to identify leakages, empowering marginalized groups such as women and youth, and promoting alternative financing models like cooperative savings schemes and social enterprises.
• The statement welcomes the African Development Bank's 'Community of Practice on Civil Society Engagement program' as a necessary space for collaboration. AFRODAD seeks to use this engagement to help African governments implement sustainable debt management and ensure financial governance reflects the interests of citizens.

APA

Mithia, C. (2025). Harnessing Civil Society’s Role in Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Inclusive Development. African Forum and Network on Debt and Development. https://www.afrodad.org/campaign/statements/harnessing-civil-societys-role-making-africas-capital-work-better-inclusive

Chicago

Mithia, Catherine. Harnessing Civil Society’s Role in Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Inclusive Development. African Forum and Network on Debt and Development, 2025. https://www.afrodad.org/campaign/statements/harnessing-civil-societys-role-making-africas-capital-work-better-inclusive.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Mithia |first1=Catherine |title=Harnessing Civil Society’s Role in Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Inclusive Development |publisher=African Forum and Network on Debt and Development |date=26 May 2025 |url=https://www.afrodad.org/campaign/statements/harnessing-civil-societys-role-making-africas-capital-work-better-inclusive |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{mithia2025harnessing, author = {Mithia, Catherine}, title = {{Harnessing Civil Society’s Role in Making Africa’s Capital Work Better for Inclusive Development}}, publisher = {African Forum and Network on Debt and Development}, year = {2025}, month = may, url = {https://www.afrodad.org/campaign/statements/harnessing-civil-societys-role-making-africas-capital-work-better-inclusive}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }