The founding members identified several goals to guide the network in its work.  These are:

• Serve as a forum for the exchange of ideas among professionals in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors, researchers, and development specialists engaged in efforts to expand quality EC services in Africa.
• Inspire interest and encourage new initiatives in the provision of EC services where there is an unmet need for them.
• Build collectively the knowledge and experience base needed to introduce, improve, and mainstream the delivery of quality EC services with a specific focus on the needs and challenges of Africa.

To achieve the goals, the group came up with the following objectives:

• Foster dialogue within the health community on a broad range of issues relating to the introduction, delivery and mainstreaming of EC services.
• Facilitate intra-regional collaboration on behalf of efforts to develop and evaluate practical tools and research related to the delivery and mainstreaming of EC services.
• Regularize the use of EC within national health care systems and promote its incorporation into relevant technical and service delivery guidelines.
• Support commercial and/or social marketing initiatives to distribute EC wherever appropriate.
• Serve as a resource registry of individuals and institutions, able to provide technical assistance in support of efforts to introduce or mainstream EC services in Africa.
• Serve as a recognized and respected source of accurate, up-to-date information on all forms of EC.
• Make more accessible research findings and other information on EC, either from outside Africa or from sources published in languages not readily understood by Anglophone or Francophone audiences.
• Link network partners and members with other EC networks and groups.