The African Forum and Network on Debt and Development (AFRODAD) is a civil society organization established in 1996 as a regional platform and organization for lobbying and advocating for debt cancellation and addressing other debt related issues in Africa.
AFRODAD was born out of a desire to secure lasting solutions to Africa’s mounting debt problem which has impacted negatively on the continent’s development process. Its activities have focused on Debt Management, Development Aid and Economic Governance. AFRODAD's goals are to mobilize African civil society to engage actively in issues of debt and development with their Governments and with the creditor Governments and institutions; to secure adoption of policies and measures by African Governments and their creditors for appropriate, efficient and effective use of loan resources to avoid crises now and in the future; to create sustainable policy coalitions in African countries to deal with debt and related development issues; to undertake research to assist policy makers in their formulations; to facilitate dialogue between civil society organizations and Governments on issues related to debt; to develop African expertise on issues of debt; to collect and disseminate information on issues related to debt for lobbying and advocacy groups in Africa and elsewhere.
AFRODAD is a trust and operates on an associate basis instead of a membership basis. The associates are groups initiated by AFRODAD or, in two cases, very close collaborators. The participation of parliament, civil society organizations and the academia in decision making is a fundamental prerequisite for good governance in the natural resources sector. In democratic states where civil society organisations (CSOs) and parliamentarians are allowed to influence decisions, they often lack the capacity to meaningfully engage. The extractive sector is a highly complex and technical sector. The limited extractive industry knowledge of various African actors compromises efforts towards effectively harnessing the natural resource wealth of Africa for positive development outcomes. In light of this, AFRODAD hosts Extractive Industries Summer School workshops from time to time.
