At Partner Africa, we are committed to our mission of providing clients with premium quality social audit, responsible business advisory, and training services that enable us to achieve the highest social and environmental standards in organizations and supply chains across Africa. With our impact throughout 2024, we have advanced our vision of promoting the widespread adoption of responsible business practices that meet international and national social, environmental, and safety standards, respect workers’ human rights, and improve working conditions.
Overview: Organizational Impact in 2024
Throughout 2024, Partner Africa has demonstrated remarkable reach and impact through its integrated approach to social auditing and responsible business advisory services. The organization engaged with nearly 1,000 clients across Africa, collectively engaging with over 160,000 workers.
Key achievements include:
- Completion of 894 high-quality social audits across 22 countries
- Delivery of 33 distinct responsible business advisory projects
- Direct impact on 146,566 workers through systematic interventions
- Extended impact reaching 21,477 secondary beneficiaries
- Retention of 82% of advisory clients, demonstrating high satisfaction
- Engagement across 24 different industries including agriculture, manufacturing, and emerging sectors
Partner Africa’s strategic presence spans multiple regions including East Africa (Kenya, Ethiopia), Southern Africa (South Africa, Zimbabwe, Mozambique, Eswatini), North Africa (Morocco, Egypt), and West Africa (Nigeria, Mauritania, Ghana).
Social/Ethical Audits: Ensuring Workplace Standards
Our Audits Department conducted 894 high-quality, people-centered social audits across 22 African countries in 2024. These audits directly assessed and improved the working conditions of over 160,000 workers.
The audits covered various standards, with 37% being SMETA audits, 20% WIETA, 14% SIZA, 7% TCCC, and 22% other standards. The largest sectoral focus was agriculture (70%), followed by manufacturing (11%), food and beverage (7%), and other industries.
South Africa led with 486 audits, followed by Morocco (103), Egypt (72), Zimbabwe (71), and Kenya (51). The unique, on-the-ground approach to auditing has been recognized by global brands, ethical trading bodies, and industry associations for its effectiveness in giving workers a voice in expressing their workplace experiences.
Responsible Business Advisory: Transforming Practices
Our Responsible Business Advisory team, now headed by Rosie Akester, completed 33 projects in 2024, with an impressive 82% client retention rate. At Partner Africa, we transform business practices through Human Rights Due Diligence frameworks across multiple sectors in 18 industries throughout Africa and Europe.
In 2024, we conducted impactful projects addressing critical issues in supply chains. Our investigation into sexual exploitation and harassment in Eastern Africa’s tea sector provided valuable insights for industry transformation through collaborative action. We also evaluated Flamingo’s Inua Dada Programme in Kenya’s cut flower industry, documenting how structured interventions effectively transformed gender representation in skilled positions.
As businesses navigate evolving regulatory landscapes like the EU Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence Directive, our team provides critical guidance while emphasizing the importance of going “beyond compliance” to create meaningful impact. For 2025, we’re evolving our expertise to deliver more scalable solutions addressing emerging challenges in human rights implementation.
More detailed information about the business advisory activities can be found in our annual report.
Future Outlook: 2025 and Beyond
As Partner Africa enters the third year of its five-year strategy, the organization is focusing on maximizing impact through strategic growth and deepened engagement. Strategic priorities include:
- Continuing to champion the adoption of robust HRDD approaches
- Expanding capacity development for African expertise in responsible business practices
- Maintaining high standards in social audits as a cornerstone of effective management
- Strengthening regional engagement for tailored, impactful solutions
- Providing practical insights on implementing international supply chain regulations
Through multi-stakeholder engagement, Partner Africa aims to increase awareness of business and human rights issues, foster dialogue between key stakeholders, facilitate knowledge sharing, and build consensus on practical solutions.
Conclusion
Partner Africa’s work in 2024 demonstrates the organization’s unwavering commitment to fostering responsible business practices that respect human rights, advance sustainable development, and create meaningful positive impact across Africa. Our integrated approach, combining rigorous assessment with practical implementation support, continues to drive improvements in working conditions while strengthening business sustainability.
For more detailed information about Partner Africa’s impact in 2024, download the full annual report.
