On 17 March, AfricTivistes launched  a call for applications to expand its CitizenLab network in West and Central Africa. These citizen laboratories aim to strengthen civic engagement and democratic innovation through digital technologies. The initiative addresses the decline in democratic governance and the rise of disinformation in the region.

This call was open to professional journalists, citizen journalists, bloggers, computer scientists, data scientists, developers, designers, videographers, multimedia specialists, community managers and graphic designers.

Within four weeks, more than 220 applications were submitted, including 104 from Senegal and the Republic of Guinea, and 120 from Cameroon and Chad.

The four new CitizenLabs will be established in Senegal and Guinea (focusing on developing digital solutions to address civic participation challenges) and in Cameroon and Chad (focusing on digital rights advocacy and promoting civic engagement).

This initiative comes at a time when, in recent years, Africa has witnessed a decline in democratic governance marked by shrinking civic space, increased digital surveillance, and the spread of disinformation, all of which have profoundly impacted the political landscape. The rise of military regimes and the manipulation of social media have further widened the gap between citizens and public authorities, even as civil society continues to strive for meaningful participation in public life through civic engagement.

For reference, AfricTivistes has already established its first citizen labs in Mauritania, Benin and Madagascar.

The call for applications for the two citizen labs officially closed on 11 April, marking the next phase of the process: the pre-selection of future CitizenLab members.

Beyond CitizenLabs, the pan-African network will also roll out other initiatives to boost innovation and defend digital rights:***

• #Tech4Good Hackathon
• Civic Tech Election Fund
• #RightsInTech Campaign
• National and regional advocacy campaigns to protect digital rights and the Menu of possible engagements.

These activities are part of the broader Digitalise Youth initiative, driven by the Digital Democracy Initiative, which aims to promote youth civic engagement, foster innovation and technological solutions development  and strengthen the digital resilience of young activists in 14 African countries in the Sahel and neighbouring regions: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Togo.

This project is implemented by a consortium comprising AfricTivistes, the European Partnership for Democracy (EPD), Code for Africa (CFA), CFI Media Development, the World Scout Bureau (Africa Region), and the Kofi Annan Foundation (KAF), with support from the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD).

For additional information, please send an email to : info@africtivistes.org