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DEMOCRACY

THE STATE OF DEMOCRACY AND CIVIC SPACE IN WEST AFRICA

The recent occurrences of military, constitutional, and electoral coups in West Africa have highlighted the fragility of democratic governance in West Africa. Many signals have shown that Democracy, civic space and political spaces are under threat in the West African region.

  1. DEMOCRACY: while West Africa has made significant strides toward democratic governance since the 1990s, the region faces ongoing challenges to the consolidation of democratic systems: Electoral Processes, Political Instability, Rule of Law
  2. CIVIC SPACE: Civic space, which encompasses the ability of individuals and organizations to express their views, associate freely, and engage in public discourse, varies unequally across West African countries. The main indicators of civic space are freedom of Expression, Freedom of Association, Peaceful Assembly
  3. POLITICAL SPACE: The political space for citizen participation and political engagement varies widely in West Africa. The key indicators are Inclusive Representation, Institutional Weaknesses, Civil-Military Relations

WACSOF IMPACTFUL ACTIONS IN DEMOCRACY, ELECTIONS AND GOVERNANCE

  1. WACSOF LED A WEST AFRICAN SENSITIZATION CAMPAIGN ON THE ACDEG (AFRICAN CHARTER ON DEMOCRACY ELECTIONS & GOVERNANCE) IN A CONTINENTAL COALITION PROJECT CALLED EC-PANAF (THE AFRICA WE WANT) WITH ACTIONAID AND DANIDA. MORE THAN 300 YOUTH, CSO, MEDIA, WOMEN WERE TRAINED AND SENSITIZED ON THE ACDEG. ADVOCACY ACTIVITIES WERE HELD WITH ECOWAS,  AFRICAN UNION AND MEMBER STATES. THIS HELPED TO GET THA GAMBIA SIGNING AND RATIFYING THE ACDEG IN 2018
  2. WACSOF ORGANISED A CONFERENCE ON THE POLITICAL SITUATION IN SENEGAL
  3. WACSOF ORGANISED COURTESY VISITS TO POLITICAL PARTIES AND GOVERNEMENTS IN COUNTRIES IN WEST AFRICA TO SERVE AS MEDIATOR TO PREVENT POLITICAL CONFLICTS IN WEST AFRICA
  4. WACSOF CO-ORGANISED A FOUR-PART WEBINAR SERIES ON “TRENDS IN DEMOCRACY, ELECTIONS, AND GOVERNANCE IN AFRICA: SPOTLIGHT ON WEST AFRICA”, BACKSLIDING AND RESURGENCE OF COUPS IN AFRICA WITH THE CYRUS R. VANCE CENTER FOR INTERNATIONAL JUSTICE OF THE NEW YORK, THE WEST AFRICAN BAR ASSOCIATION & THE PAN AFRICAN LAWYERS UNION (PALU)
  5. WACSOF ORGANIZED MANY CAPACITY BUILDING ACTIVITIES ON THE ECOWAS PROTOCOL ON DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE
  6. WACSOF WORKED WITH ECOWAS ON HUMAN RIGHTS REPORT IN WEST AFRICA
  7. WACSOF PARTICIPATED IN MEETINGS ON THE IMPROVEMENTS OF THE ECOWAS PROTOCOL ON DEMOCRACY AND GOOD GOVERNANCE

IN THE NEWS

20191023_101936
20191009_110729
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