Caritas Africa
Caritas Africa is a confederation of Catholic social service, international development and humanitarian relief organisations operating across Africa. It is one of the seven regions of Caritas Internationalis.
Caritas Africa refers to both the African network with its 46 member organizations, and its secretariat based in Lomé in Togo. The official languages of the organisation are English, French, and Portuguese.
Work
The member organisations of Caritas Africa work to alleviate poverty and provide humanitarian responses in their countries. The regional secretariat is engaged in political advocacy at African and global level, and engages in capacity strengthening of its members.Membership
Caritas Africa has 46 member organisations spanning the sub-Saharan region, encompassing the islands in the Indian Ocean and the Atlantic. Caritas Africa does not extend its coverage to the entirety of the African continent, as Caritas organisations in the Maghreb, Mashriq, and partially the Horn of Africa belong to a distinct region within Caritas Internationalis, specifically Caritas Middle East and North Africa.The national Caritas organisations are the members of Caritas Africa. In most countries, each national organisation serves as an umbrella for various diocesan Caritas organisations. Diocesan and parish Caritas groups operate locally but are not direct members of Caritas Africa. In addition, Caritas agencies from other regions sometimes run country offices in African countries, such as CAFOD, Caritas Czech Republic, Caritas Switzerland, CRS or Trócaire, which are also not part of Caritas Africa.
List of member organisations
| Country | Member organisation | Member organisation | Established |
| Caritas Angola | Caritas de Angola | 1957 | |
| Caritas Benin | Caritas Bénin | 1958 | |
| Caritas Botswana | — | 1984 | |
| Caritas Burkina Faso | Organisation catholique pour le développement et la solidarité | 1956 | |
| Caritas Burundi | — | 1962 | |
| Caritas Cameroon | Fondation Caritas Cameroun | 1971 | |
| Caritas Cape Verde | Caritas Caboverdiana | 1976 | |
| Caritas Central African Republic | Caritas Centrafrique | 1960 | |
| Caritas Chad | Caritas Tchad | 1986 | |
| Caritas Comoros | Caritas Comores | 1979 | |
| Caritas Congo Brazzaville | — | ? | |
| Caritas Congo | — | 1960 | |
| Caritas Côte d'Ivoire | — | 1955 | |
| Caritas Equatorial Guinea | ? | 1980 | |
| Caritas Eritrea | Eritrean Catholic Secretariat | ? | |
| Caritas Ethiopia | Ethiopian Catholic Church Social and Development Commission | 1965 | |
| Caritas Gabon | — | 1967 | |
| Caritas Gambia | Catholic Development Office | 2001 | |
| Caritas Ghana | — | 1960 | |
| Caritas Guinea | Organisation Catholique pour la Promotion Humaine / Caritas Guinée | 1986 | |
| Caritas Guinea-Bissau | Caritas Guiné-Bissau | 1982 | |
| Caritas Kenya | — | 1973 | |
| Caritas Lesotho | — | 1970 | |
| Caritas Liberia | — | 1990 | |
| Caritas Madagascar | — | 1959 | |
| Caritas Malawi | Catholic Development Commission in Malawi | 1985 | |
| Caritas Mali | — | 1986 | |
| Caritas Mauritius | Caritas Île Maurice | 1965 | |
| Caritas Mozambique | Caritas Moçambicana | 1977 | |
| Caritas Namibia | — | 1987 | |
| Caritas Niger | Caritas Développement Niger | 1962 | |
| Caritas Nigeria | Catholic Caritas Foundation of Nigeria | 2010 | |
| Caritas Rwanda | — | 1960 | |
| Caritas São Tomé and Príncipe | Caritas de São Tomé e Príncipe | 1981 | |
| Caritas Senegal | — | 1966 | |
| Caritas Seychelles | — | 1975 | |
| Caritas Sierra Leone | — | 1981 | |
| Caritas South Africa | Siyabhabha Trust Caritas South Africa | 1970 | |
| Caritas South Sudan | — | 2011 | |
| Caritas Sudan | Caritas Sudan / Sudanaid | 1972 | |
| Caritas Tanzania | — | 1971 | |
| Caritas Togo | Organisation de la charité pour un développement intégral / Caritas Togo | 1967 | |
| Caritas Uganda | — | 1970 | |
| Caritas Zambia | — | 2001 | |
| Caritas Zimbabwe | Caritas Zimbabwe / Catholic Development Commission | 1972 | |
| Caritas Swaziland | — | 1977 |
Executive leadership
Presidents
- 1995–2003: Charles Palmer-Buckle
- ...
- 20??-2015: Francisco João Silota
- 2015–2023: Gabriel Justice Yaw Anokye
- 2023-now: Msgr. Pierre Cibambo
Regional coordinators
- 2015–2023: Albert Mashika
- 2023-now: Lucy Esipila