Citizens’ dissatisfaction and mistrust with governance delivery are growing in Africa, with the continent recording -0.2 points for overall governance in 2020 based on the Ibrahim Index of African Governance Report. This has resulted in low civic participation in governance – a major obstacle to social and economic development in Africa.

The media and civil society organisations (CSOs) form the central pillar of a country’s civic space. In Africa, however, gaps still exist in their access to community narratives; their communications; and the strength of their networks. Many CSOs at local levels do not always understand the right entry points to influence local governance (IDEA, 2023).

Citizens of African countries see gender-based violence (GBV) as the most important women’s-rights-related issue that their governments and societies need to address (Afrobarometer, 2023). Also, deep-rooted social norms continue to expose women and girls to gender-based discrimination. For instance, women make up almost 50 percent of the agricultural labour force in sub-Saharan Africa, but they are often not remunerated for their labour and do not have control over the income generated on land that they do not own.

Almost 60 percent of African youth between the ages of 15 and 17 are not in school. Also, authorities across the continent usually deploy various tactics to silence peaceful dissent as crackdowns on the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and information have intensified. Human rights