It’s been a long journey! But the AfricTivistes Innov4Democracy competition is now entering its final phase with the hackathon itself, which will take place on May 21 and 22, 2024 in Abidjan, Côte d’Ivoire. After the call for entries, pre-selection, public vote and jury vote phases, the five (5) innovators for democracy selected will benefit from financial and technical support to help them turn their ideas into reality.

More than just a competition, #Innov4Democracy is recognition of the remarkable work accomplished by young African talent over the years. These creative minds are helping to rethink democracy in the digital age on a local and continental scale. 

Of the 26 projects submitted during the call for projects, 10 were shortlisted and put to the public vote. These ten projects were also evaluated by the hackathon’s expert jury. The sum of the public and jury votes resulted in the selection of five (5) projects, ranked in order of arrival:

– RatomaTech: A digital platform designed to give citizens of the Ratoma commune (Republic of Guinea) easier access to public information relating to the management of their commune, thereby promoting transparency through the centralization of data.

– Nidoroualmewaafe: An initiative enabling the authorities to respond to the needs expressed by citizens on the platform to find solutions to the primary social needs of people in Chad.

– Clic Citoyen: A digital platform which categorized quasi-judicial institutions in Benin and enables citizens to quickly seize them in the event of rights violations, corruption or other anti-social acts.

– CitoyenSN: An intelligent legal guide in Senegal simplifying citizens’ access to instant answers about their rights thanks to a chatbot powered by Artificial Intelligence.

– Isika: A digital platform for citizen participation in Madagascar, encouraging citizen involvement and participation in the local decision-making process.

In addition to the financial support of €25,000, the technological solution providers will benefit from four (4) months of mentoring from AfricTivistes and its technical partners. 

The hackathon organization team put in place a rigorous process based on key criteria that guided the jury’s choice of these five 5 projects:

• Respect for the purpose of the Hackathon;
• The originality of the project;
• Technical applicability of the project;
• The project’s replicability in African countries;
• Sustainability of the project;

The quality of the documentation submitted to the pre-selection committee;

The project’s impact on the advancement of democracy and good governance…

By organizing this competition as part of Charter Project Africa, AfricTivistes renews its commitment to promoting the use of digital technologies as appropriate tools for overcoming the obstacles faced by citizens in their quest for democratic expression in Africa.  

As you may recall, AfricTivistes received projects and project ideas from Benin, Madagascar, Togo, Senegal, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Chad, Burkina Faso and the Republic of Guinea during the call for proposals.

About AfricTivistes

AfricTivistes is a pan-African organization based in Dakar. It brings together bloggers, web-activists and agents of change on the continent to promote and defend democratic values, human rights and good governance through digital means.

Launched in November 2015, AfricTivistes is a sentinel of democracy in all African countries. As such, it is determined to intervene directly or to advocate for the involvement of stakeholders in the various processes of political and social change. It carries out and leads development projects and citizen engagement in democratic processes.

Furthermore, AfricTivistes develops strategies to monitor and have political leaders monitored in their actions and the realization of their promises, in order to encourage transparency and good governance. It is a showcase for enhanced citizenship in Africa.

About the Charter Project Africa

The Charter Project Africa is a pan-African project focused on the commitments contained in the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance (ACDEG) – the main document aimed at advancing democratic governance in the member states of the African Union. The project encourages the use of civic technology to amplify the voice of citizens. To this end, it provides financial resources, through grants, as well as technical resources, through expertise, to civic initiatives for democracy, particularly those led by underrepresented groups. This support is provided in eleven African Union Member States – Benin, Botswana, Cabo Verde, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania and Zambia – as well as at the regional and continental levels. The project also opens up spaces for collaboration between citizens, civic initiatives and African Union decision-makers, at the national, regional and continental levels – with a focus on digital formats.

For more information, please write to us at : innov4democracy@africtivistes.org