The CIVICUS Civil Society Index‐Rapid Assessment (CSI‐RA) project in West Africa was initiated in 2013 with financial support from Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) and CIVICUS, and in partnership with the West African Civil Society Institute (WACSI). The ultimate goal of the project was to generate local knowledge by civil society and develop actionable recommendations that can promote civil society’s role and capacity to foster democracy and citizen’s participation in Benin, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal and Sierra Leone.
It engaged civil society partners in these countries in developing and implementing a self‐assessment tool that contributes to evidence‐based civil society strengthening at the country level. Because the CSI-RA offers a more flexible methodology that is designed to be highly adaptable to any context, including sub-national, sectoral or thematic contexts; the different country partners chose, in consultation with a wide range of CSOs, different areas of assessment depending on their needs and prioritization.
CIVICUS is pleased to present its new Civil Society in West Africa report and the six country reports, that focus on the following subjects:
Structure
Enabling environment
Values
Impact
Civil Society Organisations as Institutions
Resource base and sustainability
Networking and collaboration
Internal governance
Legitimacy, Transparency and Accountability
Networks and Collaborations
Information Sharing/Communication
Resourcing
Values
Legal environment
Impact
Institutional capacity and Programme Capacity
Financial and Fundraising Capacity
Civil Society Coordination and Collaboration
Collaboration with Government
Areas of work and operation
Relations and networks/coalition building
Citizen’s participation and activism
Impact
Internal governance
Resource mobilisation and capacities
