Advancing Community Rights in Development

Giving Communities Equal Footing in Deals That Directly Impact Them

Across Africa, major development projects—in mining, oil and gas, agriculture, and infrastructure—promise economic growth and job creation. Yet too often, the communities whose lands, livelihoods, and futures are most affected see little benefit and bear disproportionate costs. From displacement without adequate compensation to environmental harm without remedy, the pattern persists: agreements negotiated without meaningful community participation entrench inequality rather than shared prosperity.

Yamalé Alliance works to change that dynamic—ensuring that development happens with communities, not to them.

Our Approach

We center community rights at the intersection of business and human rights, drawing on the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and the principle of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). Our work ensures that communities have voice, agency, and enforceable protections in the development projects that affect their lives.

Legislative Framework Development

We support governments in drafting laws that make community participation and benefit-sharing legal requirements, not voluntary gestures—embedding these protections directly into national legal frameworks.

Community Development Agreements

We negotiate and structure agreements that secure tangible returns for communities—including revenue-sharing mechanisms, employment guarantees, environmental safeguards, and functioning grievance systems.

Implementation Monitoring

Our work extends beyond contract signing. We monitor implementation, track compliance, and ensure commitments become reality.

Capacity Strengthening

We work with communities to understand their rights, enforce agreements, and access remedies when protections are breached.

National Action Plans & FPIC Protocols

We advise on National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights and design Free, Prior and Informed Consent protocols for extractive and infrastructure projects.

Legal Advocacy

When agreements are violated, we provide legal support to ensure communities have access to justice and effective remedies.

For Governments:

Draft legislation on community rights and benefit-sharing
FPIC protocols and implementation guidance
National Action Plans on Business and Human Rights
Regulatory frameworks for Community Development Agreements

What We Deliver

For Communities:

Negotiated agreements with enforceable protections
Revenue-sharing and employment guarantees
Environmental safeguards and monitoring mechanisms
Legal support when rights are violated
Capacity building on rights enforcement

For Development Projects:

Frameworks that build genuine community partnerships
Reduced conflict and social risk
Sustainable, inclusive development models
Compliance with international human rights standards

Our Principles

Community-Centered

Communities are not stakeholders to be managed—they are rights-holders whose consent and participation are essential.

Legally Enforceable

We ensure protections are embedded in law and contracts, not left to corporate goodwill.

Grounded in International Standards

Our work aligns with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and FPIC frameworks.

Long-Term Partnerships

We don't just negotiate agreements—we support implementation and enforcement to ensure commitments endure.

Work With Us

When communities are genuine partners in development, projects are more sustainable, conflicts decrease, and prosperity is shared more equitably. By making community rights legally enforceable rather than aspirational, we transform development from extraction into partnership—creating models where economic growth and community wellbeing advance together.

Whether you're a government seeking to strengthen community rights frameworks, a community facing a development project, or a partner organization working on business and human rights—we're here to ensure law becomes the tool through which communities assert their agency.

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