Registered number: 7770647 Charity number.. 1144815 Partner Africa (A company limited by guarantee) TRUSTEES. REPORT AND FINANCIAL STATEMENTS FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 PARTNER AFRICA IA company limited by guarantee) CONTENTS Page Reference and Admlnlstratlon Detalls Trustees. report Trustees. responsibilities statement Independent auditors. roport on the financial ststoments 9-12 statement of financial activities 13 Balance sheet 14 Statement of cash flows 15 Notes to the financial statements 16-30 PARTNER AFRICA IA company limited by guarantee) REFERENCE AND ADMINISTRATION DETAILS Trustees Mr. Martin Ryan Ms. Catherine Fitzgibbon Ms Winifred Johansen Dr. Ims.) Chinyere Almona Company registered number 7770647 Charity registered number 1144815 Registered office Second Floor Westgale House Dickens Court Hills Lane Shrewsbury SY1 1QU Company secretary Mr Peter McDevill (resigned 5th January 20241 Winifred Johansen lappoinled 5th January 20241 Independent auditors RBK Business Advisers Chartered Accounlanls & Registered Auditor RBK House Irishlown Alhlone Co. Westmeath Bankers Barclays Bank PIC Shrewsbury Shropshire SY12WQ Solicitors Withers LLP 16 Old Bailey London EC4M TEG Page 1 PARTNER AFRICA IA company limited by guarantee) TRUSTEES. REPORT FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 The Trustees, who are also directors of the charitsble company for the purposes of the Companies Act, present their annual report (including audited financial stslemenlsl of Partner Africa Ilhe company) for the year ended 31 December 2023. The Trustees confi'rm that the Annual Report and financial statements of the company comply with the current slatulory requirements, the requirements of the company's governing document and the provisions of the Statement of Recommended Practi￿, "Accounting and Reporting by Charities ISORP 20191. Structure, governance and management a. Constltutlon Partner Africa is a company limited by guarantee, not having a share capital, the parent entity incorporated in UK under the Companies Act 1985 (registered number 77706471. The company is registered as a charity with the Charity Commission for England and Wales Icharily Number 11448151. It was incorporated on 12th September 2011. Partner Africa is registered in South Africa as an NPO registration number 133405 NPO. Partner Africa's mission is lo improve the working conditions and livelihoods of workers and prOdU￿rS in African supply chains. Through ils ethical auditing and responsible business advisory Se￿ices, il positively engages with clients to identify, address and report on the salient environmental, social and governance IESGI risks in their organisation and supply chains and adopt responsible business practices. Partner Africa's work is guided by the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights IUNGPS) and other international best practice stsndards. It works with companies, communities and governments to achieve its mission. Partner Africa has expertise in several industries, including agribusiness, apparel, manufacturing, services and extraclives. Partner Africa does not have a shareholding structure, and ils sole member is Gorta (trading as Self Help Africa), a company limited by guarantee, incorporated in Ireland (company number 1056011 with registered offices al Kingsbridge House, 17-22 Parkgate Street, Dublin 8, and registered as a charity {charity number CHY66631. b. Methods of appointment or election of Trustees The Board is empowered lo appoint new trustees to its ranks. As the sole member, Gorta Self Help Africa must ratify appointments. c. Pollcles adopted for the Inductlon and tralnlng of Trustees There is a Trustee Induction Policy and Programme in place lo enable all Trustees to familiarise themselves with their duties and responsibilities, the Partner Africa governance framework and Partner Africa's work overseas. Any relevant training requirements of trustees are facilitated by the organisalion. d. Organlsatlonal structure and declslon maklng Partner Africa has registered branches in England, Kenya, and South Africa. Ils ethical audit hub is based in Cape Town, its responsible business advisory hub is based in London, England and its operational hub in Nairobi, Kenya. The trustees have oversight of the company's activities and financial position. The management team deals with the day-to-day operation of the company. Page 2 PARTNER AFRICA IA company limited by guarantee) TRUSTEES. REPORT ICONTINUEDI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Structure, governance and management Icontinuedl e. Risk management The trustees have responsibility for, and are aware of the risks associated with, the operating activities of Partner Africa. They are confident that adequate systems of internal control are in place and that these controls provide reasonable assurance against such risks. Objectives and activities Objectives Partner Africa is a pioneer In the field of ethical and socially responsible business praCts.￿ that delivers high quality and innovative ethical audit and responsible business advisory services lo clients. Partner Africa is driven by a social mission lo improve the livelihoods of workers and produTrrs, while assisting access lo international supply chains and bridging the skills and standards gap be￿een Africa and the International community. b. Activities 1. Supportlng cllents Identlfy the sallent labour Issues In thelr supply chalns. Ethical Audits & Assessments Partner Africa focuses ils work on conducting high quality, worker- centred ethical audits in order lo assess the working conditions in factories and farms throughout Africa and identify the salient labour issues for ils clients. All ethical audits involve assessing suppliers against the ILO conventions.. child labour will not be used., freedom of association., no excessive working hours, no discrimination, employment is freely chosen, workers are paid a minimumlliving wage,. working conditions are safe & hygienic, regular employment is provided, and no harsh or inhumane treatment is allowed. Partner Africa also undertakes Small Producer Assessments to assess the ethical standards of small producers feeding into export supply chains. Applying codes of conduct to informal and often family run businesses is a complex process. We seek to estsblish the characlerislics, needs and priorities of small producers and their workers, and outline recommendations to maintain standards required as well as to help improve livelihoods. Page 3 PARTNER AFRICA IA company limited by guarantee) TRUSTEES. REPORT ICONTINUEDI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Objectives and activities {continuedl 2. Addresslng the root cause through provldlng tralnlng and advlsory servlces to cllents Partner Africa takes a 'posilive engagement, approach to ils work and is committed to forming partnerships with ils clients lo address the root causes of the salient labour issues identified during ethical audit. With our Pan- Africa reach and experienced local teams in 23 countries we can deliver a wide range of high-end advisory services lo international brands and retailers, as well as governments and NGOS. Our advisory services allow clients to draw upon our knowledge of local capabilities, labour codes and culture to develop programmes that enable them lo prevent and remediate non-compliances identified in their operations and supply chain. Our advisory services include.. Human Rights Risk Assessments which enable clients lo understand the impact of the operations and supply chains on human rights and understand the associate risks. In4epth researeh. Partner Afriea carries out long-lerm, in-depth researeh into targeted issues within supply chains across Africa including forced labour, child labour, sexual harassment and discrimination. The research findings are used lo help companies develop an in4epth understanding of issues in their supply chains and tsilor policies and systems lo support global efforts lo eradicate the worst forms of child labour, fOr￿d labour and modern slavery and land grabbing. Partner Africa has also carried out baseline and end line studies lo determine the impact of potential or current sourcing strategies within a supply chain or community. Training and supplier forums. To help clients improve their understanding of responsible business, prevent, and remediate non- compliances Partner Africa offers a range of training programmes for suppliers in Africa that are part of international supply chains. Supporting companies develop responsible business programmes and policies that enable them lo be responsible and be compliant with UNGO'S on Business and Human Rights. Impact asses$ment$ and Reporting. Partner Africa is committed to supporting elienls assess the impact of their responsible business programmes and preparing high quality robust reports. Partner Africa's team have experience of preparing and reviewing modern slavery reports, ethical trade initiative IETII reports, UN Global Compact reports and the organisation of stakeholder panels. Page 4 PARTNER AFRICA IA company limited by guarantee) TRUSTEES. REPORT ICONTINUEDI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Strategic report Partner Africa annual update 2023 . General summary In 2023 the focus of Partner Africa work was lo invest In creating a robust and resilient business for the future which included.. Delivering on the 2022 developed S-year strategy for Partner Africa for the period January 2023 10 December 2028. Investing in a marketing and communications programme to promote the work of Partner Africa and growth business Investing In new senior positions in the audit team including a fvjll-time quality manager to improve the robustness of the programme. Investing in gaining ISO certification to enable Partner Africa to expand the types of audits and certification that it can undertake including Global Gap audits. strengthening and expanding the advisory programme through engaging a series of senior advisory consullanls to deliver high quality programmes. IMPACT In 2023, Partner Africa conducted 892 Social audits, with 772 firms across 28 industries and countries. Through this they engaged with 137,241 direct workers and 19,789 indirect workers. Those siles that were found lo have non-compliances had over 98,000 Employees. PA recorded over 759/0 closure rale of Ncs within the calendar year. As a result, Partner Africa contributed lo the improvement of working conditions of just over 70,000 workers in 2023. During the same period the Responsible Business Advisory department of Partner Africa conducted 18 projects. Impact details below. Totsl NuuLber of ThT0Tke￿ engaged {i.e. 1rLteThie￿"ed' 5un"ey)'. 1834 Number of Supplie￿ engaged {i.e. illterriewed; 5Utvey)'. 257 NullLber of illterllatioDal bUsine￿S en8a8ed ysiGN 4&￿9yts2-1I￿6sv￿2 Mr. Martin Ryan Ichair of Trustees) Dale.. 14 Mar 2025 Page 7 PARTNER AFRICA IA company limited by guarantee) STATEMENT OF TRUSTEES. RESPONSIBILITIES FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 The Trustees (who are also the directors of the Company for the purposes of company lawl are responsible for preparing the Trustees. report Including the strategic report and the financial slalemenls in accordance with applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice), including FRS 102, the financial reporting stsndard applicable in the UK and Ireland. Company law requires the Trustees to prepare financial stslemenls for each financial year. Under company law, the Trustees must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the slate of affairs of the Company and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including Its income and expenditure, for that period. In preparing these financial statements, the Trustees are required lo.. select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently., observe the methods and principles of the Charities SORP., make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent., state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements", prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the Company will continue in business. The Trustees are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the Company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy al any time the financial position of the Company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the Company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities. The directors are responsible for the Maintenan￿ and integrity of the corporate and financial information included on the charitable company's website. Legislation in the United Kingdom governing the preparation and disseminab'on of financial ststemenls may differ from legislation in other jurisdictions. Approved by order of the members of the board of Trustees and signed on its behalf by.. Ryo Ix¥(SlGN 46ZX9Y82-17Z65YK2 Mr. Martin Ryan Ichair of Trustees) Dale. 14 Mar 2025 Page 8 PARTNER AFRICA IA company limited by guarantee) INDEPENDENT AUDITORS. REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF PARTNER AFRICA FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Oplnlon We have audited the Financial Statements of Partner Africa Ithe 'charitsble company'l for the year ended 31 December 2023 which comprise the statement of financial activities, the balance sheet, the statement of cash flows and the related notes, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland, (United Kingdom Generally AC￿pIed Accounting Practi￿1. In applying that framework the Iruslees have elected to have regard lo the Statement of Recommended Practice applicable lo Charities ISORPI. In our opinion the Financial Stalemenls.. give a true and fair view of the slate of the charitable company's affairs as at 31 December 2023 and of its incoming resources and application of resources, including ils income and expenditure for the year then ended., have been properly prepared in accordan￿ with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice., and have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006. Basis for opinion We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing IUKI IISAS IUKII and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the Auditors. responsibilities for the audit of the Financial Statements section of our report. We are independent of the charitable company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant lo our audit of the Financial Statements in the United Kingdom, including the Financial Reporting Council's Ilhe 'FRC'I Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordan￿ with these requirements. We believe that the audit eviden￿ we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide basis for our opinion. Conclusions relating to going concern In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the Trustees, use of the going con￿rn basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial slalemenls is appropriate. Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating lo events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubl on the charitable company's ability lo continue as a going concern for a period of at least ￿e1ve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue. Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the Trustees with respect lo going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report. Page 9 PARTNER AFRICA IA company limited by guarantee) INDEPENDENT AUDITORS. REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF PARTNER AFRICA ICONTINUEDI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Other Informatlon The other information comprises the information included in the annual report other than the Financial Statements and our auditors. report Ihereon. The trustees are responsible for the other infomialion contsined within the annual report. Our opinion on the Financial Statements does not cover the other information and, except lo the extent otherwise expliciuy ststed in our report, we do not express any fomi of assurance conclusion thereon. Our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the Financial Statements or our knowledge obtained in the course of the audit, or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required lo determine whether this gives rise lo a material misslatemenl in the Financial Statements themselves. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard. Oplnlon on other matters prescrlbed by the Companles Act 2006 In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit.. the informstion given in the Trustees. ￿port for the financial year for which the Financial Statements are prepared is consistent with the Financial Stalemenls. the Trustees, report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements. In the light of our knowledge and understanding of the charitable company and ils environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified Material misstatements in the Trustees, report. Matters on whlch we are requlred to report by exceptlon We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters in relation lo which Companies Act 2006 requires us lo report to you if, in our opinion.. adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us,. or the Financial Slalements are not in agreement with the accounting records and returns., or ertain disclosures of TrLJStees' remuneration specified by law are not made", or we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit", or the trustees were not entitled to prepare the financial ststemenls in accordance with the small companies regime and take advantage of the small companies, exemptions in preparing the Trustees, report. Page 10 PARTNER AFRICA IA company limited by guarantee) INDEPENDENT AUDITORS. REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF PARTNER AFRICA ICONTINUEDI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Responslbllltles of trustees As explained more fully in the trustees, responsibilities statement, the Trustees Iwho are also the directors of the charitable company for the purposes of company lawl are responsible for the preparation of the Financial Statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the Trustees determine is necessary to enable the preparation of Financial Ststemenls that are free from material misstatement, whether due lo fraud or error. In preparing the Financial Statements, the Trustees are responsible for assessing the charitable company's ability lo continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related lo going concern and using the going concem basis of accounting unless the Trustees either intend to liquidate the charitable company or lo cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but lo do so. Audltors. responslbllltles for the audlt of the flnanclal statements Our objectives are lo obtain reasonable assurance about whether the Financial Statements as a whole are free from material misslatemenl, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditors, report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, bul is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAS IUKI will always delect a material misstalemenl when il exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these Financial Slatementsfinancial statements. A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the FRC'S website at.. ww.frc.org.uklauditorsresponsibililies. This description forms part of our auditor's report. Extent to whlch the audlt was conducted capable of detectlng Irregularltles Includlng fraud Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-complian￿ with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to delecl material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of delecling irregularities, including fraud is detsiled below.. We considered the nature of the charitsble company's industry and its control environment, and reviewed the charitable company's documentation of their policies and procedures relating lo fraud and compliance with laws and regulations. We also enquired of management, internal audit and directors about their own identification and assessment of the risks of irregularities, including those that are specific to the charitable company's business sector. We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks that the charitsble company operates in, and identified the key laws and regulations that.. had a direct effect on the determination of material amounts and disclosures in the financial slalemenls. These included UK Companies Act, Charities Act 2011, pensions legislation and tsx legislation. do not have a direct effect on the financial statements bus compliance with which may be fLJndamental lo the charitable company's ability to operate or lo avoid a material penalty. These included UK employment law and Data Protection Act 2018. We discussed among the audit engagement team regarding the opportunities and incentives that may exist within the organisation for fraud and how and where fraud might occur in the financial statements. Page11 PARTNER AFRICA IA company limited by guarantee) INDEPENDENT AUDITORS. REPORT TO THE MEMBERS OF PARTNER AFRICA ICONTINUEDI FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 As a result of performing the above, we identified the greatest potential for fraud in the following areas, and our specific procedures performed to address il are described below.. Completeness, accuracy and occurrence of income.. we assessed the design and determined the implementation of the key controls over income recognition process., and performed substantive prO￿dureS on a sample basis to assess appropriate of income recognition. In common with all audits under ISAS IUKI. we are also required to perform specific procedures to respond lo the risk of management override. In addressing the risk of fraud through management override of controls, we tested the appropriateness of journal entries and other adjustments,. assessed whether the judgements made in making accounting eslimales are indicative of a potential bias., and evaluated the business rationale of any significant transactions that are unusual or outside the normal course of business. In addition to the above, our procedures lo respond to the risks identified included the following.. reviewing financial statement disclosures by testing to supporting documentation to assess compliance with provisions of relevant laws and regulations described as having a direct effect on the financial ststemenls., performing analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships that may indicate risks of material misstatements due to fraud., enquiring of management and the group audit finance & risk committee conceming actual and potential litigation and elaims, and InStan￿S of non-compliance with laws and regulations in this charitable company", and reading minutes of meetings of those charyed with governance and reviewing internal audit reports. Use of our report This report is made solely lo the charitable company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might stale to the charitable company's members those matters we are required to stste to them in an auditors, report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the charitable company and its members, as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed. Michelle O'Donoghue {Senior Statutory Auditor) RBK Business Advisers Chartered Accountsnts & Registered Auditor RBK House Irishtown Athlone Co. Westmeath Dale.. 18 March 2025 Page 12 PARTNER AFRICA IA company limited by guarantee) STATEMENT OF FINANCIAL ACTIVITIES (INCORPORATING INCOME AND EXPENDITURE ACCOUNT) FOR THE YEAR ENDED 31 DECEMBER 2023 Unrestricted funds 2023 Total funds 2023 Total funds 2022 Note Income from: Charitable activities 1,843.262 1,843.262 1, 982,220 Total income 1,843,262 1,843,262 1,982,220 Expenditure on: Charitable activities 1,987.288 1,987.288 2, 100,664 Total expendlture 1,987.288 1,987,288 2, 100,664 Net expenditure before taxation Taxation 1144.0261 {7.522) 1144.026) {7.522) (178,444) 134 11 Net movement in funds 1151.5481 1151.5481 (118.310) Reconciliation of funds: Total funds brought forward Nel movement in funds 275.695 (151.548) 275.695 (151.548) 394,005 (118,310) Total fund$ carried forward 16 124,147 124,147 275,695 The Statement of financial activities includes all gains and losses recognised in the year. The notes on pages 16 to 30 form part of these financial statements. Page 13 PARTNER AFRICA IA company limited by guarantee) BALANCE SHEET AS AT 31 DECEMBER 2023 2023 2022 Note Fixed assets Tangible assets 12 12.982 23,397 12,982 23,397 Current assets Debtors Cash al bank and in hand 13 19 98.393 488.659 115,358 558,379 587,052 673, 737 Creditors.. amounts falling due within one year 14 (475.887) (421,439) Net current assets 111,165 252,298 Total assets less current liabilities 124,147 275,695 Total net assets 124.147 275.695 Charity funds Reslricled funds Unrestricted funds 16 16 124.147 275,695 Total funds 124,147 275,695 The financial stslemenls were approved and authorised for issue by the Trustees and signed on their behalf by.. /P7orf/ii Ry tQ commitments rebilled to Partner Africa and received a nel of £240,378 12022.. £295,606) from commitments to Partner Africa. No funds were transferred to Partner Africa from SHA12022'. £Nill. The balance due to Gorta Self Help Africa at 31 December 2023 from normal operations was £37,026 12022.. £65,891). £0 12022.. £49,117) was owed by SHA being transfer of TMEA Burundi fund balance. The nel balance owing lo Gorta Self Help Africa was £39,02612022'. £16,774). 25. Approval of flnanclal statements The accounts were approved by the Trustees on Page 30