AfricTivistes has announced the launch of the €175,000 Innovation Fund for Citizen Participation in Electoral Processes in Africa (Election Civic Tech Fund), aimed at supporting civic technology initiatives across 14 countries: Somalia, Ethiopia, Sudan, South Sudan, Senegal, Benin, Burkina Faso, Guinea, Chad, Cameroon, Mauritania, Niger, Mali, and Togo. The fund addresses needs identified in AfricTivistes’ research, including the AYIM study (Mapping of African Youth Initiatives undertaken during the 2021 Coronavirus Crisis) and the Soobu (Mapping of Electoral Civic Initiatives in Africa, since 2010), which highlighted a lack of financial and technical support for civic initiatives, particularly those focused on electoral civic technology.

In response to the violence that has impacted over 50% of elections in sub-Saharan Africa since 1990, this fund aims to address a critical strategic gap by supporting organized groups of young people (aged 18–35), including associations and registered start-ups. Priority will be given to initiatives led by women. Grants ranging from €10,000 to €25,000 will support four to six major projects, along with additional micro-grants, across four key areas:

• Citizen electoral technologies (40% of the fund)
• Citizen engagement and the electoral process (25%)
• Media and information (20%)
• Legal framework (15%)

In this context, AfricTivistes has launched the fund to support, encourage, and promote innovative initiatives that strengthen citizen participation, transparency, and the integrity of electoral processes in Africa. 

The fund also aims to advance electoral civic tech, increase the participation of young people and women through technology, and foster new communities committed to electoral transparency.

By supporting leaders of electoral civic tech initiatives, the fund promotes collaboration among stakeholders and serves as a catalyst for technological solutions that make electoral processes more transparent, inclusive, and resilient.

This initiative is part of the EU co-funded AHEAD Africa project, which addresses various aspects of electoral cycles across the continent. The project seeks to enhance electoral integrity and empower civil society to strengthen democratic processes.

2As part of the project, AfricTivistes – a pan-African network at the forefront of the continent’s digital ecosystem – is promoting digital innovation and civic technology (civic tech) to make electoral processes more transparent and democratic across Africa. To this end, AfricTivistes is developing several key initiatives, including a mapping of civic electoral initiatives (Soobu);  an online one-stop shop for civic tech resources (Farafina); a Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on electoral processes and An electoral hackathon to foster tech-driven solutions.

The Election Civic Tech Fund is powered by The Digital Democracy Initiative, under the Digitalise Youth project. This initiative seeks to promote youth civic engagement, stimulate innovation, and develop technological solutions, while also strengthening the digital resilience of young activists in 14 target countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Togo.

If you meet the eligibility criteria and have an innovative project, submit your initiative by 10 July 2025 at: https://electioncivictechfund.africtivistes.com/en 

Results will be announced on 18 July 2025.

For more information, contact: info@africtivistes.org