State Obligations Under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights in the Context of Private Provision of Social Services

This publication highlights the historical shift from public to private provision of essential services like education and healthcare due to neoliberal policies, which has exacerbated inequalities. The report stresses the necessity for States to ensure access to quality public services, regulate private actors to prevent human rights abuses and maintain non-commercial, democratically accountable social services. It provides guidelines for State responsibilities, including funding, regulation and public participation, while warning against retrogressive measures and ensuring that private involvement does not undermine public service quality or accessibility.

Click here to access the publication (available in English and Spanish).

Healthcare Privatisation and Commercialisation in Ivory Coast: What Impact on the Right to Health?

This executive summary, which is based on a full report originally written in French by Dr. Stéphane Koffi Kouadjo and Amadou Dahou, from the non-profit organisation Mouvement Ivoirien des Droits Humains (MIDH), explores the detrimental impacts of privatising healthcare on the right to health in Ivory Coast.

It highlights how commercialisation exacerbates inequalities, with socioeconomic status determining access to medical care. The publication, based on research in Bouaké, Cocody and Yopougon, reveals that a significant number of private health centres operate illegally and that the public healthcare system is underfunded, covering only 40% of healthcare needs. Discrimination against vulnerable groups, such as women and persons with disabilities, is prevalent due to inadequate facilities. The research underscores the necessity for the Ivorian government to enhance public healthcare funding, enforce stricter regulations on private providers and promote transparency to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare for all.

You can access the executive summary here and the full report (in French) here.

The Conceptualisation and Regulation of APBET Schools in Kenya: Applying the Abidjan Principles on the Right to Education

This report explores the status and regulation of Alternative Provision of Basic Education and Training (APBET) schools in Kenya, using the Abidjan Principles on the Right to Education as a framework. It highlights the challenges faced by public education in Kenya, particularly in informal urban settlements, where private and non-formal education options, such as APBET schools, have proliferated. The report distinguishes between public and private education, outlining the state's obligations to provide free, high-quality public education and regulate private education. It discusses the legal and policy framework governing various types of schools in Kenya, including public, private, APBET and community (Harambee) schools, and recommends policy measures to improve access to quality education for all children.

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Perception of Public Services: Nigeria - Lexia

This report, commissioned by the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) and conducted by LEXIA, examines how Nigerians perceive public services, focusing on education and healthcare. Conducted through online group sessions in January 2024, the study explores the associations and beliefs people have about public services, the role of the private sector, and the relationship between these services and human rights. The findings highlight significant disparities and barriers in accessing quality public services, exacerbated by socioeconomic status and regional differences. The study reveals a strong preference for private services due to perceived higher quality and better treatment, despite higher costs. It also underscores the need for improved public service infrastructure, better compensation for service providers, and increased oversight to enhance accountability and service delivery.

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Access to Healthcare in Côte d'Ivoire: A Participatory-Action Research

We have published a new executive summary: 'Access to Healthcare in Côte d'Ivoire: A Participatory-Action Research'. The publication discusses a research project on healthcare access in Gagnoa, Ivory Coast, carried out by the Mouvement Ivoirien des Droits Humains with support from our organisation.

The study reveals that healthcare funding in Gagnoa largely relies on direct out-of-pocket payments, which disproportionately affect lower-income groups. This is exacerbated by the underimplementation of a national health insurance scheme intended to alleviate these financial burdens. Public healthcare facilities, while crucial for providing more affordable and specialised care, are hampered by resource shortages, inadequate staffing, and insufficient equipment. Conversely, the private healthcare sector is fragmented and inconsistent in quality, with many informal providers escaping necessary regulation, thus complicating access for economically disadvantaged groups.

The research team set up a community-led monitoring committee aimed at addressing these accountability issues and enhancing local advocacy efforts for healthcare rights.

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The State of the Privatisation of Education in Francophone Africa

Since the 1980s, countries in sub-Saharan Africa, including French-speaking African countries, have been obliged to implement structural adjustment programmes (SAPs), managed by the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, to resolve budgetary crises. The principal downside of these policies has been a drastic reduction in state funding allocated to essential public services such as education2. In the face of an exponential growth in demand for education , these decisions to reduce state funding for the education sector, along with other factors such as the introduction of flexible regulations favouring private actors, have contributed to an unprecedented growth in private actors in many countries around the world, notably those in francophone Africa.

However, the fact remains that the impact of the privatisation of education in the French-speaking African space is insufficiently documented. Against this background, and in order to increase the availability of data on the extent, impact and political responses to the growth of privatisation of education in French-speaking Africa, civil society organisations in Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Madagascar have mobilised. These organisations carried out research, including the field data collection, between 2020 and 2022 in order to increase the availability of factual information on privatisation and its direct impact on the right to education in these four countries.

Click here to access the publication.