The West Africa Democracy Solidarity Network (WADEMOS) has undertaken an Exploratory and Scoping Mission to Nairobi, Kenya, as part of an ongoing South-South Cooperation initiative aimed at strengthening collaboration among civil society actors across West, Central, and East Africa.
The mission, which took place from May 19–21, forms part of WADEMOS’ broader efforts to promote democratic solidarity, peer learning, and cross-regional engagement among civic actors working to advance democratic governance and constitutional rule on the continent. The initiative seeks to create stronger linkages between civil society organisations (CSOs) across African subregions in response to the continent’s evolving democratic and governance challenges.
The delegation included representatives from several African countries and institutions, including Campaign for Good Governance (Sierra Leone), the Ghana Center for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana), Alternatives Citoyennes (Chad), and the Elections Observation Group (ELOG) in Kenya.
Activities commenced on May 19 with an inception meeting hosted by ELOG to develop a Regional Democracy Cooperation Framework. The discussions focused on identifying opportunities for collaboration among civic actors and exploring practical approaches for strengthening democratic resilience, civic engagement, and regional solidarity across Africa.
On May 20, WADEMOS convened a multi-stakeholder roundtable discussion that brought together civil society organisations, media representatives, democracy practitioners, and governance actors from West, Central, and East Africa. The dialogue created space for participants to exchange experiences, reflect on emerging democratic trends across the continent, and discuss the future of interregional cooperation among pro-democracy actors.
Participants also reflected on the shrinking civic space in several countries, growing public distrust of democratic institutions, political transitions, concerns about electoral integrity, misinformation, and the need for stronger citizen-centred democratic reforms. The engagements underscored the importance of building stronger networks of solidarity and collaboration among African civil society actors in addressing shared democratic challenges.
The mission concluded on May 21 with a technical meeting and debriefing session focused on lessons learned, key areas of convergence, and potential pathways for sustained collaboration among participating organisations and institutions.
For WADEMOS, the initiative represents an important step toward deepening South-South cooperation and strengthening continental solidarity among civic and democracy actors. The Network believes that democratic progress in Africa requires stronger collaboration across borders, particularly at a time when many countries continue to confront governance challenges, democratic backsliding, and increasing pressure on civic freedoms.
Since its establishment, WADEMOS has consistently worked to promote regional cooperation, democratic accountability, electoral integrity, and citizen participation across West Africa through election observation missions, advocacy engagements, solidarity missions, and policy dialogues. The Kenya mission expands this work beyond the sub-region and creates opportunities for deeper collaboration between actors across different parts of the continent.
Funded by the Open Society Foundations, the initiative seeks to build resilience among civic actors through solidarity, knowledge exchange, peer support, and sustained cross-regional engagement in response to Africa’s changing democratic landscape.
