From Entebbe to Accra: civil society is rewriting the rules of investment

The Entebbe Declaration, a programme for reclaiming investment frameworks to ensure they work for people and the planet, calls for terminating harmful treaties, dismantling investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS), strengthening domestic and regional justice, and putting obligations on investors, not just rights. Crucially, it places climate justice, human rights, gender equity, labour rights and community consent at the centre of any future framework. This is the anchor for our work in Accra.

Why this matters now is clear. Across Africa, and far beyond, investment rules have long prioritised corporate interests over democratic decision-making and sustainable development. Investor-state dispute settlement has punished governments for protecting people and nature, chilled progressive policy, and diverted scarce public funds away from health, education and climate adaptation. The system has not delivered on its promises of jobs, technology transfer or resilient economies. We set this out last year, and the evidence has only grown since.

The West African Civil Society Sustainable Investment Forum in Accra is about moving from principles to plans. Over three and a half days, we will share hard-won lessons on ending or replacing unfair treaties, examine regional pathways such as the AfCFTA Investment Protocol, and explore practical tools that countries and communities can use immediately, including contract transparency, community consent, and investor obligations. The aim is to leave with an agreed set of priorities for national advocacy, regional coordination and north-south collaboration, all rooted in what CSOs judge achievable in the coming year.

Outcomes

Three outcomes guide us.

First, coordinated action on treaty exits and alternatives. Many African countries face windows to terminate outdated bilateral investment treaties. We will map these opportunities, pool legal capacity, and coordinate advocacy so governments can act with confidence, replace risky clauses with modern domestic law, and secure policy space for climate and development.

Second, a shift from extraction to transformation. We will promote investment that builds productive capacity, adds local value and respects planetary limits, rather than accelerating extractivism. That includes supporting agroecology, equitable energy transitions and regional supply chains, while ensuring communities can withhold consent where projects threaten rights or livelihoods.

Third, stronger, inclusive coalitions. The Civil Society Sustainable Investment Forum in Entebbe in 2024 showed the power of convening organisers, researchers, journalists, unions and community leaders in one room. Accra will deepen that practice, with lighter language, practical tools and shared messaging that travel from policy tables to community meetings. We will also connect the African agenda with allied efforts in Latin America and, next, in Asia, building towards a truly global conversation led by those most affected.

This forum is not an end in itself. It is a working meeting designed to consolidate perspectives, foster learning, and strengthen collaboration across diverse groups. The agenda is shaped by participating CSOs, and the process is rooted in their lived realities, political contexts, and strategic priorities. It also provides a space to build trust and clarity between organisations engaged in the same broader struggle, so that future steps can reinforce one another rather than compete for attention.

We left Entebbe with a mandate. In Accra we intend to honour it. Our commitment is to help create the conditions for investment to serve public purpose, not private power, and to do so through collaboration across countries and continents. If you share that ambition, follow the forum’s outcomes, use what we produce, and, wherever you are, help make the case for a new investment settlement fit for a warming, unequal world.

Fernando and Bart-Jaap work with partners across Africa and beyond to advance fair, sustainable alternatives to today’s investment regime. The Accra Investment Civil Society Forum takes place from 6 to 9 October 2025.