By Benjamin Nii Nai Anyetei
The West Africa Civil Society Institute (WACSI) has outlined an ambitious new strategic direction aimed at strengthening digital resilience, expanding civic technology, and promoting sustainable African-led financing for civil society organisations (CSOs) across the region. The announcement was made during a press briefing in Accra as part of the institute’s 20th Anniversary commemoration.
According to Omolara Balogun, WACSI’s Head of Policy Influencing and Advocacy, the institute’s next phase responds to a rapidly evolving civic landscape marked by restricted freedoms, online surveillance, and declining donor support. She warned that over 85 percent of CSOs in West Africa rely heavily on foreign funding, a model she described as increasingly unstable. Balogun said WACSI’s strategy will prioritise locally sustained and African-led financing models to reduce dependency and ensure long-term resilience.
She added that the institute will expand its investment in civic technology, digital advocacy tools, cybersecurity, and online safety training, equipping CSOs with the digital competencies required to operate effectively despite growing threats to online civic space.
WACSI’s Executive Director, Dr. Nana Afadzinu, reinforced this direction, emphasising that the future of civic engagement is inseparable from digital freedom and security. She noted that shrinking civic space across ECOWAS and the Alliance of Sahel States (AES) demands a new level of innovation and preparedness from civil society actors.
“Digital rights are now core civic rights,” she said. “If we fail to safeguard online freedoms, we weaken the very foundation of citizen participation and democratic accountability.”
Dr. Afadzinu added that the institute’s next strategic phase will also deepen partnerships across the continent, amplify policy-influencing work, and strengthen organisational leadership and governance to enable CSOs to withstand emerging political and technological pressures.
The briefing brought together media organisations from Ghana and Africa Democracy Radio (WADR). Board members, including Dayo Olaide, Ambassador Francis Tsegah, and George Idun-Sam, also shared reflections on governance trends and echoed calls for communities, governments, and donors to safeguard civic freedoms.
As part of the anniversary activities, WACSI convened a health talk for participants, stressing that strong civil society institutions depend on the wellbeing and resilience of the people leading the work.
With the 20th Anniversary serving as both a milestone and an inflection point, WACSI says its new strategic direction aims to build a digitally empowered, financially independent, and governance-ready civil society sector, equipped to defend rights, influence policy, and elevate citizen voices across West Africa in the years ahead.
