The Principles and Opportunities for People-Centered Justice in Africa

Building on the Task Force on Justice’s Justice for All report, which called for a global shift toward justice systems that put people’s needs at the center, it shows how this approach is already taking root in Africa.

This report highlights both long-standing traditions, such as customary mechanisms and community-based innovations, and contemporary practices demonstrating promise and potential for scale, all aimed at meeting the diverse needs of people, especially those furthest behind.

It also examines key themes shaping people-centered justice in Africa today:

• Advancing justice for those furthest behind.
• Fostering diverse pathways to justice.
• Strengthening the role of data and evidence.
• Preventing justice problems before they escalate.
• Investing in frontline services and innovative delivery models.

Taken together, these themes reveal the untapped potential of people-centered justice to strengthen resilience, restore trust in institutions, and renew the social contract between African states and their citizens.

Based on the findings and lessons highlighted in this report, the African Alliance for People-Centered Justice urges governments and the wider community of stakeholders including civil society, development partners, and funders to:

1. Strengthen diverse pathways to justice by integrating formal, customary, and community-based mechanisms into coherent justice ecosystems, ensuring accessibility, fairness, and accountability across all systems.
2. Invest in legal empowerment by expanding community advice offices, paralegal networks, and legal aid services so that individuals—especially those furthest behind— can understand, use, and shape the law.
3. Leverage research, data, and evidence to guide policy and reform by identifying barriers, measuring impact, and ensuring accountability in justice delivery. Countries should adopt common indicators in line with initiatives such as the Justice Action Coalition Workstream on Data and Evidence.
4. Prioritize preventive justice approaches that address disputes and grievances before they escalate, which reduces costs, eases burdens on courts, and enhances societal resilience.
5. Foster innovation and technology in justice systems, including e-filing, mobile courts, artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted case management, and alternative dispute resolution (ADR) platforms, ensuring that these tools are inclusive, equitable, and responsive to the needs of marginalized communities.
6. Mobilize and allocate sustainable financing for justice by applying frameworks such as the Justice Financing Framework to align resources with frontline needs and make justice delivery more effective, efficient, and people-centered.
7. Anchor people-centered justice within continental and global development agendas, particularly Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 16, to ensure that justice is recognized as a driver of sustainable peace, development, and inclusive governance.