Navigating Africa's democracy agendas: A guide for civil society engagement

Summary

Regional economic communities (RECs) in Africa have a responsibility to protect and promote the implementation of the continent’s democratic norms within their respective regions. However, the distribution of responsibilities and labour between the African Union and RECs is not always clearly laid out. Even where clearly articulated, the level of REC engagement in democratic governance varies for a number of reasons. This disparity presents challenges for civil society organisations (CSOs) that seek to engage with the RECs on issues of democratic governance.

In this paper, we summarise the results of our research on the African Union and different RECs, examining their governance agendas and how they interact with civil society, including through digital technologies. We focus on three RECs: the East African Community (EAC), the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC). 

We found that, contrary to their mandate under the African Governance Architecture, not all regional organisations have developed sufficient frameworks to promote democracy among member states. Of those that do have such frameworks, not all have the mechanisms in place to implement them effectively. Similarly, CSOs are perceived differently – and indeed are very different – across regions. Building on our findings, we outline a number of areas in which civil society can engage with their respective regional organisations and significantly contribute to the promotion of democracy at the regional level.