Established in 1987 under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (the African Charter), the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR or the Commission) has since engaged with civil society organisations (CSOs) in line with the Constitutive Act of the African Union (AU), the 1990 African Charter on Popular Participation in Development and Transformation and the 1991 Treaty Establishing the African Economic Community (Abuja Treaty). The establishment of the AU’s Economic, Social and Cultural Council5 in 2004 as the official platform for African CSO participation in AU activities, compelled the Commission to strengthen its collaboration with CSOs across the continent.
With the adoption of the AU’s Agenda 2063 in 2015, this collaborative work with CSOs ‘took up a renewed urgency, and we started very active collaboration with CSOs all over the world, though combating TOCs [transnational organised crimes] was not part of it,’ said Bahame Tom Nyanduga, former chairperson of the Commission.
Although legal and normative instruments exist for citizen participation, especially through the Commission, CSOs are concerned that they remain excluded from genuine AU decision-making. As Dr Lamin Njie, Executive Director of ‘Refuge’ noted during the first dialogue in March 2025, ‘The space is there on paper, but we are yet to feel it in our daily engagement with the AU system. We are often invited after decisions have already been made.’ Another participant added, ‘When civil society is absent from the room, the AU risks speaking to itself. The presence of grassroots voices ensures that our continental policies reflect continental realities.’
Alex Bangura, News Presenter at Citizen FM Radio, emphasised that involving CSOs makes the AU ‘more relevant and responsive to the real needs of citizens.’ Dr Lamin Njie, Executive Director of Refuge, said CSOs feel they are ‘consulted too late.’ This disengagement with citizens, who are supposed to help key institutions within the AU to drive development and human rights, continues to be a major impediment to the realisation of Agenda 2063.
It was within this framework that two human rights dialogues focusing on how CSOs can support the Commission do its work more effectively were convened in Banjul, The Gambia. The first, entitled TOC and human rights dialogue: expanding ACHPR and CSO collaboration, was held on 14 March 2025 in Banjul, The Gambia. The second, entitled Combating migrant smuggling, human trafficking and contemporary forms of slavery in Africa: strengthening the role of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in partnership with civil society, took place on 18 July 2025.
The events convened key stakeholders, including representatives from the European Union, the Commission, CSOs, law enforcement agencies, policymakers, the Gambian Human Rights Commission, academia and international partners to discuss the intersection of TOC and human rights. The dialogues identified important legal and policy gaps and developed recommendations for enhancing ACHPR-CSO engagement.
About the author
Dr Feyi Ogunade is the Regional Organised Crime Observatory Coordinator for the ENACT project. A dedicated human rights advocate, his research and professional focus centre on the intersection of International Human Rights Law, International Relations, regional security frameworks, and the intersection between organized crime and human rights.
Image: AdobeStock
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