AfricTivistes CitizenLab

AfricTivistes CitizenLab is a pan-African citizen-led initiative launched in 2022. It transforms civil society actors into agents of digital change capable of designing and deploying technological solutions to strengthen citizen participation. Rolled out gradually across seven countries — Mauritania, Benin, Madagascar, Chad, Cameroon, Guinea and Senegal — it is based on a network of interconnected national laboratories with a long-term continental vision.

Context

In the face of democratic backsliding, disinformation and the marginalisation of young people in governance processes across Africa, CitizenLab responds to a strong demand from young people and civil society organisations for practical tools and approaches that foster civic engagement and bridge the gap between civil society and public administration.

Approach

The programme is based on three complementary pillars: capacity building (intensive theoretical and practical training courses), civic tech and co-creation (development of digital tools tailored to local contexts), and the innovation hub (production of valuable content and digital advocacy). The CitizenLabs in Senegal and Guinea play a technical role by designing solutions for the entire network, whilst the other five (Mauritania, Benin, Chad, Cameroon, Madagascar) focus on content production, capacity building and digital advocacy.