By
Gerald Byarugaba
What is Oxfam and what does it do in the Horn and East African region? Why is it important to highlight the impact of the organisation’s focus on the extractive industry.
Oxfam is a global movement of people, working together to end the injustice of poverty. Through our work and with our
partners, we aim to find practical, innovative ways which would help end poverty in the communities we work in.
Our over 50 years’ experience working in the Horn, East, and Central Africa (HECA) region has enabled us build strong partnerships and relationships with local and national organisations and earn the trust of governments and the people we work with. We currently work in Burundi, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, South Sudan, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania, and Uganda.
In the extractives industry, we work to promote Natural Resource Justice, by ensuring that citizens and governments in countries rich in oil, gas and minerals get a fair share of revenues from their resources and invest in areas that have greater capacity to reduce poverty and inequality such as health and education. That includes promoting meaningful participation of citizens in decision making and ensuring the respect for rights of communities affected by extractive projects and protection of the environment.
