EXECUTIVE BRIEF ICMICA AFRICA

This executive brief outlines the key challenges facing ICMICA Africa and the strategic priorities guiding its work for the period 2024–2028, to strengthen organizational effectiveness, expand impact, and ensure long‑term sustainability.

1. Organizational Context

ICMICA Africa operates in 20 countries across the continent and is registered as a Trust in Kenya, which hosts the regional coordination office. The movement provides leadership on socioeconomic justice, human rights, pastoral formation, and policy advocacy, engaging Catholic professionals and youth at national, regional, and global levels.

1. Challenges and opportunities

The situational analysis reveals that the operational environment for Pax Romana faces several challenges, which are prioritized as follows;

• The weak organizational capacity of ICMICA to effectively deliver on its mandate. This is characterized by conflicting and overlapping roles between the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee: some members.
• Inadequate human resources for the effective delivery of its mandate. Lack of resources to support an adequate physical office infrastructure for the movement.
• Low capacity of movements of both Professionals and youth to deliver on their goals, objectives, and aspirations.
• Poor human rights protection and prioritization at the country and sub-regional levels.
• Inadequate pastoral formation of professional and youth members in Catholic Social Teachings, characterized by the disruption of social networks and families; lack of leadership structures at the grassroots level e.g, parishes in the dioceses where the laity are found, and negative influence of social media
• Mainstreaming of evidence-based advocacy for effective policy engagements at the national, regional, and global levels is hindered by the low visibility of Pax Romana at sub-national (diocese), national, and regional levels.
• Low financial base and inadequate strategic partnerships to support ICMICA’s operations and programmes.
• Donor fatigue as most organizations approach the same catholic institutions;
• Lack of a resource mobilization strategy.

Strategic objectives

The Strategic Plan outlines six strategic themes of implementation, namely: organizational capacity development; membership and professional development; social and community development; pastoral formation of members; policy research and advocacy; and building financial sustainability and strategic partnerships.

Arising from the above strategic themes, ICMICA Africa will pursue the following six strategic objectives:

Strategic Objective 1: Strengthen the organizational capacity of ICMICA to effectively deliver on its mandate.

• 1.1.1: Enhance ICMICA secretariat service delivery;
• 1.1.2: Undertake organizational capacity assessment and develop improvement plan
• 1.1.3: Review and operationalize governance and management structure for ICMICA Executive Committee/ Board;
• 1.1.4: Develop ICMICA internal management systems and procedure manuals for the Board; human resources, financial and procurement;
• 1.1.5: Develop a communication protocol;
• 1.1.6: Develop annual work plans to operationalize the Strategic Plan;
• 1.1.7: Develop M&E, Reporting and Learning Framework (MERL).

Strategic Objective 2: Strengthen the capacity of country-level movements of both professionals and youth to deliver on their goals, objectives, and aspirations.

• 2.1.1: Update the database of individual and corporate members
• 2.1.2: Strengthening governance and management capacities of national movements
• 2.1.3: Develop membership recruitment and retention strategy.
• 2.1.4: Develop and implement mentorship and coaching strategy for youth and young professionals;
• 2.1.5: Link national movements with dioceses and parishes to enhance visibility and impact
• 2.1.6: Connect government leaders, impact investors, and technical experts through regional meetings, online webinars and trainings, and peer exchanges.

Strategic Objective 3: Promote fundamental human rights and priority social development initiatives at the country and sub-regional levels

• 3.1.1: Train national movements in project cycle management, including planning, resource mobilization, project implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and reporting, and learning;
• 3.1.2: Link national movements with dioceses and parishes to identify priority projects;
• 3.1.3: Provide technical support to national movements to develop bankable proposals for their priority projects

Strategic Objective 4: Deepening of pastoral formation of professionals and youth movements

• 4.1.1: Development of program on Theological formation of the laity;
• 4.1.2: Strengthening the theological and evangelization capacity of national movements;
• 4.1.3: Linkage with other lay movements and like-minded organizations for evangelization.
• .1.1: Develop advocacy plans in close collaboration with the regional and national episcopal conferences of Bishops;

Strategic Objective 5: Strengthen evidence-based advocacy for effective engagements to inform policy on national, regional, and global issues

• 5.1.2: Strengthening of advocacy capacities of national movements;
• 5.1.3: Undertake ethical policy research on topical or emerging national, regional and global issues;
• 5.1.4: Disseminate research findings through policy briefs, publications, conferences, and seminars;
• 5.1.5: Organize networking forums for professionals and subject matter experts, including platforms comprised of Christians, Muslims, and the Jewish, for discussions on common issues.

Strategic Objective 6: Build a sustainable financial base and strategic partnerships to support ICMICA’s operations and programmes

• 6.1.1: Develop resource mobilization strategy;
• 6.1.2: Establish and strengthen strategic partnerships and linkages;
• 6.1.3: Engage in investment instruments such as owning property, bonds, endowment funds, etc

Strategic Imperatives

To move from strategy to action, ICMICA Africa will prioritize:

• Clear governance and accountability structures

• Effective implementation of systems and performance tracking

• Increased visibility and influence at diocesan, national, and regional levels

• Sustainable financing and partnerships


Intended Outcome

By 2028, ICMICA Africa aims to be a well-governed, financially sustainable, and visible continental movement, with empowered national chapters, strengthened pastoral formation, and credible influence in social justice and policy advocacy across Africa.

KEY GUIDING QUESTIONS FOR THE PREPARATORY SESSIONS

SESSION 1:

1. Sustainability of the Secretariat

Core Question: How do we sustainably resource and strengthen the regional secretariat without overburdening national movements?

Key Reflection Questions

• What is the real minimum annual cost of running the secretariat effectively (staff, administration, coordination)?

• What would a fair and realistic minimum annual contribution per national movement be? (flat rate or tiered (based on size/capacity), or combination of cash + in‑kind support?

• What percentage of the secretariat budget should realistically come from national movements, and what percentage from external funding?

• How do we ensure equity, so smaller or fragile movements are not excluded?


Decision‑Driving Questions

• What risks do we face if regional secretariat sustainability is not secured?


✅Expected Outputs:

• Agreement on sustainability model scenarios

• Minimum contribution principle

• Clear next steps (study, decision, or pilot)

• Civil and Ecclesiastical Risks & Mitigation

Civil and Ecclesiastical Risks & Mitigation

Core Question: What are the external risks that threaten our mission, and how do we mitigate them without compromising our identity and credibility?

Civil / Societal Context – Reflective Questions

• What are the key human rights, democratic, or social justice issues affecting our members and communities?

• Are our actions perceived as: faith‑based service, political activism, or something misunderstood in between?

• What risks do we face as Catholic professionals when speaking on public issues?


SESSION 3:

• Annual Thematic Focus Across the Movement

Core Question: How do we build continental coherence while respecting national context and creativity?

Strategic Alignment Questions

• Would agreeing on one continental theme per year strengthen visibility and unity, improve advocacy impact, support fundraising and partnerships?

• How should themes be selected (continental discernment, consultation with national movements, episcopal input)?

• How do we ensure themes align with Catholic Social Teaching, ICMICA Africa priorities, and Current social realities?


National Implementation Questions

• Can each national movement commit to: Designing at least one programme or set of activities around the annual theme?
Integrating the theme into formation, advocacy, or social action?

• How much flexibility do national movements need in implementation?

• What minimum reporting should be required (activities, reach, learning)?


Accountability & Learning Questions

• How will thematic outcomes be shared and documented regionally?

• Can annual themes feed into: Policy briefs?
Continental statements?
Joint advocacy moments?
• How do we capture learning year‑to‑year?


✅ Expected Outputs:

• Agreement on annual thematic approach

• Principles for theme selection

• Expectations for national implementation


TO BE DISCUSSED IN ADDIS ABABA

• Civil and Ecclesiastical Risks & Mitigation

Core Question: What are the external risks that threaten our mission, and how do we mitigate them without compromising our identity and credibility?

Civil / Societal Context – Reflective Questions

• What are the key human rights, democratic, or social justice issues affecting our members and communities?

• Is civic space shrinking in our country (limitations on assembly, speech, advocacy, funding)?

• Are our actions perceived as: Faith‑based service, Political activism, or something misunderstood in between?

• What risks do we face as Catholic professionals when speaking on public issues?


Ecclesiastical Context – Reflective Questions

• Are there tensions or misunderstandings between our movement and Church leadership?
• Do bishops and clergy clearly understand our mandate?

• Are we aligned with: Episcopal priorities, Social pastoral plans?

• How do leadership changes in the Church affect our positioning?


Risk Mitigation Questions

• Do we have clear advocacy boundaries and approval processes?

• When should we speak publicly—and when should we work quietly?

• How do we protect members from legal, professional, or reputational harm?

• Who accompanies us when tensions arise—with Church or State?


✅ Workshop Output:

• Priority civil and ecclesiastical risks identified

• Practical mitigation measures

• Agreed advocacy posture (proactive, cautious, collaborative)