Social Work in Africa: Re-discovering its Purpose
Social work in Africa is in daily contact with victims of underdevelopment, deprivation, poverty, ethnic wars, and HIV/AIDS. Yet, in the majority of countries on the continent it occupies a marginal position among professions, and has very narrow role in identifying, defining, prioritising and addressing the major problems facing its constituency. Due to this limited role definition, social work’s relevance to the current developments on the continent is constantly questioned. This paper argues that social work in Africa can, and must play a bigger role in the lives of its African clients. Particularly, it must play a significant role in the promotion of citizenship, human rights and social justice, which are directly linked to the main problems currently besieging Africa. As social work in most African countries is mainly practiced within government ministries and departments, it should not expect such expanded role to be given it on a silver plate, but must strive to claim it. For this to happen, social work must engage in certain deliberate proactive activities including clarifying its contextual mission and vision, and adopting appropriate methods and strategies. The strategies suggested in this paper seek to enable social work to achieve two things among others: overcome its marginality, and play a leading role in the promotion of the increasingly threatened notions of citizenship, human rights and social justice on the continent.