The East and Horn of Africa Business and Human Rights Dialogue convened in Nairobi on 10 - 11 June 2026 to advance corporate accountability and climate justice. This subregional platform united diverse institutional stakeholders to translate policy into tangible, rights-respecting outcomes. Key ACCA leaders—Dr Dorcas Basimanyane (Regional Coordinator), Joseph Byomuhangyi (Chair), and Lassané Ouedraogo (Project Coordinator)—spearheaded the core discussions. By bridging regulatory frameworks with grassroots realities, they successfully championed a structural shift for local populations. Their efforts effectively transitioned community members from passive policy participants into legally empowered architects of institutional change.
Reframing Due Diligence
Dr Dorcas Basimanyane served as a distinguished panellist at the East & Horn of Africa Business and Human Rights Dialogue, offering vital critiques on regional Human Rights Due Diligence (HRDD). During the two-day convening, her insights directly informed high-level panels focused on shifting corporate sustainability from simple compliance checklists to genuine value creation. She addressed systemic failures in resource-rich industries, demonstrating that contemporary due diligence occurs too late, relies on short-term reporting, and overlooks customary land dependency. Her analysis heavily anchored the Day 2 policy sessions, where state commissions from Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Ethiopia evaluated National Action Plans. By reframing communities as rights-holders, Dr Basimanyane's contributions shaped the breakout caucuses and the final plenary alongside ACCA Chair Joseph Byomuhangyi, establishing actionable benchmarks for rights-centred supply chains and robust, built-in legal remedies across the region.
Mobilising Youth Leadership
Lassané Ouedraogo delivered a presentation during the Day 2 breakout session, “Thematic Deep Dive: Young People as Key ‘Architects’ of the BHR Agenda,” at the East & Horn of Africa Dialogue. Drawing on the historic development of the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change, Ouedraogo highlighted how a grassroots campaign initiated in 2019 by 24 law students in Vanuatu successfully mobilised global state support. He utilised this landmark precedent to demonstrate how young people can successfully transition from passive policy participants to active architects of institutional change. His presentation emphasised that meaningful youth leadership is essential for shaping the contemporary Business and Human Rights (BHR) agenda. By connecting academic activism to state-level climate action, Ouedraogo established clear benchmarks for advancing intergenerational equity and climate justice across the region.
Driving Institutional Accountability
Joseph Byomuhangyi, serving as Chair of the African Coalition for Corporate Accountability (ACCA) and coordinator of the Uganda Consortium for Corporate Accountability, delivered a pivotal presentation at the East & Horn of Africa Business and Human Rights Dialogue. Focusing heavily on regional accountability, his presentation anchored the Day 2 closing plenary session, which evaluated how national policy commitments translate into practice across the region. Byomuhangyi provided critical structural reflections on the implementation gaps within National Action Plans across East Africa. He championed the transition of local communities from passive stakeholders to legally empowered rights-holders, emphasising the necessity of integrating mandatory due diligence frameworks into regional trade. His conclusions laid out clear, actionable benchmarks for all actors to strengthen rights-centred supply chains, move beyond mere compliance checklists, and establish trusted, built-in legal remedies across the continent.
For more information, please contact:
Tel: +27 (0) 12 420 6398
basimanyane.k@up.ac.za
