Engaging Citizens in Democratic Governance
TrustAfrica works to secure the conditions for democracy by strengthening the capacity of civil society organizations. Rationale  At TrustAfrica, we believe that an active citizenry is an essential part of a prospering, sustainable, and democratic society. Voting is typically the most visible way for people to engage in public life, but elections alone are not sufficient. To hold public officials accountable, citizens need timely access to information about the workings of government as well as the freedom to come together to advocate on their own behalf. The state, in turn, has a duty to honor their concerns and act on them responsibly.
Yet in many parts of Africa, nominally democratic regimes exclude, marginalize, or diminish the role of various social and economic groups. They engage citizens in ways that are largely symbolic, rather than allowing for the real and meaningful participation of autonomous and competent actors. The recent proliferation of civil society organizations in Africa holds great promise for strengthening democracy, but these groups’ efforts frequently fall short due to lack of coordination, duplication of efforts, competing agendas, perceptions of elitism, and insufficient transparency. The sector is also hampered by poor collaboration among groups working at the national, regional, and continental levels; heavy reliance on northern donors; and institutional weaknesses that make it difficult to recruit and retain skilled staff and to develop medium- and long-term program strategies. Even more troubling is the recent spate of government efforts to proscribe the work of civil society groups through cynical and oppressive regulations.
Strategies TrustAfrica seeks to build the capacity of civil society organizations to advocate for democratic governance and equitable development. We support groups and coalitions working to: - Monitor national policies on key issues—including freedom of association, freedom of expression, free movement of people, and civic participation in setting development priorities—and conduct advocacy campaigns aimed at securing and safeguarding the right to exercise these freedoms. We also back efforts to combat policies that fuel xenophobia and religious intolerance.
- Engage regional institutions to improve the application of democratic norms and standards, such as the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance.
- Augment their advocacy skills and increase their access to policy makers. We provide financial support and technical assistance to help organizations in countries with particularly fragile democracies, as well as those in post-conflict countries, to attain requisite competencies.
- Improve their accountability and transparency and broaden their constituencies of support, in part by reaching out to Africa’s private sector as a potential ally in strengthening democracy.
Activities Our civil society work encompasses several flagship initiatives, including one aimed at strengthening African regional organizations. We believe that bodies like the AMU, CEN-SAD, COMESA, EAC, ECCAS, ECOWAS, IGAD, and SADC can play a vital role in improving the economic climate and ensuring collective security—provided they are open to input from civil society groups. We have conducted a study, convened workshops, and forged partnerships aimed at realizing this vision. We are also preparing to launch a civil society resource center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Co-funded by the Open Society Institute, it is designed to provide civil society organizations with technical assistance and travel support so they can engage the African Union in a more effective manner. Our partnership to strengthen civil society in Liberia, a joint venture with Humanity United, provides funding, technical assistance, and peer-learning opportunities so that civil society organizations in Liberia can become more effective advocates for democracy and development. Our religious pluralism initiative seeks to strengthen the role of religion in promoting pluralism, tolerance, and dialogue across Africa. TrustAfrica is one of the few independent, secular sources of support for work on these issues in Africa. Although genuine interfaith dialogue is rare, we see real potential to advance African development and democratization by engaging with religious groups. We have begun to develop an electronic clearinghouse for sharing knowledge, experiences, and best practices on democratic governance. This work is part of a collaborative effort involving the Open Society Institute, UNESCO, IDRC, Panos, and CODESRIA.
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