Strategies for Effective Policy Advocacy: Demanding Good Governance in Africa

The report outlines a framework for effective policy advocacy in Africa based on four pillars: strategic planning, functional networks, political sophistication, and the use of evidence and technology. It analyzes successful campaigns, such as the Treatment Action Campaign in South Africa and the Anti-Third Term Campaign in Zambia, to demonstrate how CSOs can navigate hostile political environments, leverage legal instruments, and use mobile technology for social mobilisation.

• Effective policy advocacy in the African context depends on four critical pillars: the quality of strategic planning, the functionality of networks, political and legal sophistication, and the ability to leverage knowledge and information communications technology (ICT).
• Strategic planning is essential for CSOs to avoid being merely reactive; it involves identifying root causes of problems, articulating specific objectives, and conducting environmental scanning to understand the broader political context.
• Networks provide value not just through existence, but through functionality, allowing CSOs to build legitimacy, fill technical capacity gaps, and source evidence from grassroots constituencies more cost-effectively.
• Successful advocacy requires 'playing politics,' which includes navigating informal political dynamics, building relationships with political office bearers, and identifying the actual holders of de facto power rather than relying solely on formal parliamentary structures.
• Litigation is recommended as a strategy of last resort due to high costs and the risk of creating adversarial relationships with government, though it was a defining success for the Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) in South Africa.
• Evidence-based advocacy, including the use of Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS) and Citizen Report Cards (CRCs), increases CSO legitimacy and makes it harder for governments to ignore their demands.
• Mobile technology offers significant opportunities for rapid social mobilisation and data collection in Africa, though its efficacy is limited by legal regulations, corporate policies, and language barriers.
• The African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) provides a formal 'supply-side' opportunity for CSO input, but engagement is often hampered by government dominance, lack of timely invitations, and CSO distrust.

APA

Katito, G., & Aggad, F. (2009). Strategies for Effective Policy Advocacy: Demanding Good Governance in Africa. South African Institute of International Affairs. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/saia_rpt_03_katito_aggad_20090618.pdf

Chicago

Katito, George, and Faten Aggad. Strategies for Effective Policy Advocacy: Demanding Good Governance in Africa. South African Institute of International Affairs, 2009. https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/saia_rpt_03_katito_aggad_20090618.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Katito |first1=George |last2=Aggad |first2=Faten |title=Strategies for Effective Policy Advocacy: Demanding Good Governance in Africa |publisher=South African Institute of International Affairs |date=June 2009 |url=https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/saia_rpt_03_katito_aggad_20090618.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{katito2009strategies, author = {Katito, George and Aggad, Faten}, title = {{Strategies for Effective Policy Advocacy: Demanding Good Governance in Africa}}, institution = {South African Institute of International Affairs}, year = {2009}, month = jun, url = {https://saiia.org.za/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/saia_rpt_03_katito_aggad_20090618.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }