West Africa Civil Society Institute wacsi.org

Introduction

It has become widely accepted that civil society is essential to governance, peace and development in West Africa. The region has witnessed an exponential growth in diverse configurations of civil society groups working at different levels of society. While the activities and achievements of a significant number of these groups are visible and have gained recognition, in reality, most civil society contributions remain unknown and undocumented. Furthermore, the level of collaboration and networking within the civil society sector is limited given the challenges of communication and transportation in West Africa. As a result there is often duplication of initiatives.

This directory is a continous and ongoining process of cataloguing civil society in West Africa.This online platform will be updated regularly and civil society actors would be invited to register and update their contact details.

WACSI envisions that this directory will facilitate the process of identifying civil society organisations and experts working in specific locations and fields. It will also enhance networking between civil society and increase possibillities for building cross regional constituencies for advocacy.