The West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS Network) will organize the third annual regional convening of civil society organizations in Accra, Ghana, from March 4 to 5, 2025.
The event will provide a platform for stakeholders in the democracy and development space to deliberate on the future of ECOWAS and the state of democracy in West Africa.
The WADEMOS Network has witnessed major steps in upholding democratic values and norms by strengthening cross-border cooperation and collective action through advocacy, research, and evidence-informed decision-making. While bold progress has been made in institutionalizing regional solidarity, the Network also acknowledges the persistent threats to democracy, human rights, and security.
Critical developments such as election management, economic challenges, stalled transition processes, the resurgence of military coups and unconstitutional changes of government, and the potential fragmentation of the bloc resulting from the proposed exit of some countries from the ECOWAS bloc shaped the regional political and socio-economic environment in 2024.
This year’s event is themed “Leveraging CSOs solidarity movement in defense of democracy across West Africa: Challenges, lessons learnt, and perspectives,” and will also focus on envisioning the future of ECOWAS in the coming decades.
The 2025 CSOs Conference seeks to:
- Deliberate and build consensus on key transformational approaches and strategies to enhance the advocacy and activism of the region’s CSOs, social movements, and other pro-democracy actors.
- Discuss and propose solutions to the economic governance and development challenges eroding public trust and confidence in democracy and democratic norms
- Amplify CSO’s voice, mobilization, and solidarity on the state of democracy in West Africa
- Strengthen WADEMOS solidarity initiatives across West Africa and beyond
