In a context where the expression of democracy and good governance still faces major challenges in Africa, the Member States of the African Union (AU) are still confronted with various obstacles linked to the implementation of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Good Governance (ACDEG), aimed at advancing democratic governance.  In an effort to help remedy this, Charter Project Africa is focusing on advocacy, capacity-building and awareness-raising, centred on 4 components: the Pan-African Online Consultation, the #Innov4Democracy Hackathon, the DEG Mooc, the AfricTivistes Governance and Democracy Champion .

🎯Goal

Support the implementation and appropriation of the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Good Governance (CADEG) through advocacy, capacity-building and awareness-raising using digital tools.

⚙️Project Components

🎓 MOOC “Democracy, Elections and Governance”

To address the lack of access to quality information about democratic institutions and processes, AfricTivistes launched a MOOC dedicated to democracy, elections and governance in Africa. This free online programme has trained over 1,000 citizens, predominantly young people, through dynamic and accessible modules.

Key figures:

• 5 courses, 26 modules, 6 experts
• Over 1,000 learners, 100 certified
• 30 educational resources, 6 blog articles

🔗 Discover the MOOC

🗣️ Pan-African Online Citizens’ Consultation

AfricTivistes organised an online citizens’ consultation to gather recommendations from Africans around five essential themes: freedom of expression, term limits, respect for constitutions, youth and women’s participation, and inclusive governance.

This initiative mobilised hundreds of young people through:

• 60 contributions in French and English
• 5 thematic webinars
• 1 X Space on electoral monitoring
• 1 synthesis report
• Discover the consultation website

💡 #Innov4Democracy Hackathon

To stimulate citizen innovation, AfricTivistes organised the pan-African hackathon #Innov4Democracy. Teams from across the continent proposed digital solutions to improve governance. Five finalist projects were designated as “Charter Fellows” and received technical support and a grant of 5,000 euros each.

👨🏽‍💻 Winning projects:

• Isika (Madagascar)
• Clic Citoyen (Mali)
• Nidoroualmewaafe (Niger)
• Ratoma Tech (Guinea)
• Citoyen SN (Senegal)

📽️ Relive the hackathon in Abidjan

🏆 AfricTivistes Champion of Governance and Democracy Award

To celebrate commitment to democracy, AfricTivistes launched the AfricTivistes Champion Award. In 2024, this distinction was awarded to Thuli Madonsela, former Public Protector of South Africa, recognised for her fight for social justice and human rights.🔍

• Selection process
• Presentation of the 5 finalists
• Celebration in images

📽️ Other Achievements and Advocacy Actions

• A documentary on Senegal’s third peaceful transition, highlighting the importance of ACDEG.
• A video on the role of civic technologies in governance, presented at the launch of the AU’s ACDEG manual for primary schools.
• Strategic partnerships including collaboration with Siasa Place (Kenya) for citizen advocacy.

📌 A New Path for African Democracy

With the Charter Project Africa, AfricTivistes has demonstrated that technological innovation, combined with citizen engagement and institutional collaboration, can open new horizons for African democracy. These actions have helped establish a culture of participation, co-construction, and accountability, and have contributed to laying the foundations for a more inclusive, accessible, and sustainable governance ecosystem.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦Targets

• CSOs
• African citizens 
• African Union institutions
• Civil society actors and organisations
• Media professionals

📅Duration

4 years 

🏳️Area of intervention

Continental 

🤝Partners

European Union

🌐 Resources 

https://charter.africa