Nigeria

Center for Constitutional Governance (CCG)
$49,528
To improve communication between legislators and the electorate in southwestern Nigeria. The CCG will focus on certain senatorial districts in each state in the region, working with civil society organizations and elected state legislators to build a stronger, more collaborative relationship through needs assessments, workshops, joint meetings, technical expertise, and community mobilization activities.

Center for Constitutionalism and Demilitarization (CENCOD)
$36,762
To promote a culture of debate and consensus-building around the constitution and to inform policy makers on constitutional development and democracy in other countries. CENCOD will publish and distribute four editions of The Constitution, a journal on democracy, constitutionalism, and demilitarization, and will continue to hold its Annual Democracy Lecture series.

Center for Development Research and Advocacy (CDRA)
$28,183
To reduce the number of shari'a-related human rights violations and increase civil society advocacy for human rights in Sokoto and Kebbi states in northern Nigeria. CDRA will continue capacity-building workshops for the civil society networks and will hold workshops for shari'a court judges and teachers of religious schools. CDRA will also produce and distribute a quarterly newsletter.

Center for Environment, Human Rights, and Development (CEHRD)
$20,200*
To promote and increase awareness of human rights in Bayelsa, Delta, and Rivers states in southern Nigeria. CEHRD will monitor and report on human rights abuses, issue regular press statements, publish a monthly newsletter, and produce a comprehensive report on human rights that will be distributed to government officials, NGOs, law enforcement officers, and academia.

Center for International Private Enterprise
$82,141
To build the capacity of small enterprise associations to advocate for their rights, influence policy, monitor the government budget at state and local levels, and check against diversion of resource allocation. CIPE will work through a partner organization, the National Association of Small Scale Industries (NASSI), to hold policy advocacy workshops focusing on budget monitoring and networking between NASSI members.

Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE)
$158,460
To promote democracy through development of a legislative alert program that will create awareness for the business community. The grant will enable The National Association of Chambers of Commerce, Industry, Mines and Agriculture (NACCIMA) representatives to attend committee meetings and debates on the National Assembly floor, make presentations during public hearings, and produce a monthly "Legislative Alert" publication which will notify the business community of related bills under review in the National Assembly.

Center for Law and Social Action (CLASA)
$40,000*
To continue promotion of political finance reform in Nigeria. CLASA will conduct extensive monitoring of compliance with political finance regulations by parties and candidates and will convene a two-day conference for politicians, civil society members, representatives of the legislature and executive branch, media, and international NGOs to discuss the successes and failures of campaign finance reform.

Centre for Civic Education
$47,500
To promote the engagement of civil society organizations in Nigeria's 2006 voter registration process in preparation for the 2007 elections. The Centre will prepare election observation manuals and procedures, provide observation training to 342 individuals across the country, and then monitor their activities, which will culminate in publication of an election report to be presented at a press briefing and widely disseminated. To ensure smooth conduct of activities, the Centre will be in regular consultation with the Independent National Electoral Commission.

Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO)
$58,100*
To build the capacity of civil society groups to monitor elections effectively to ensure a democratic electoral process. The CLO will conduct meetings with local leaders, host civic education workshops, train and deploy 500 election monitors, and publish a report to assess the extent to which the elections were free and fair.

Committee for the Protection of Peoples' Dignity (COPPED)
$40,700
To increase the role of democratic youth participation in Nigeria. COPPED will host camps where young people will learn about and discuss pertinent regional issues and seek creative solutions. After the camps, participants will establish clubs in their local areas and COPPED will follow-up on their activities, assessing and assisting them.

Community Action for Popular Participation (CAPP)
$42,136
To increase popular participation and accountability in dam areas, and expand community participation in the decision-making process. CAPP will strengthen the capacity of civil society organizations through civic and voter education workshops, and will hold a rally to promote the development of dam-affected communities. Additionally, CAPP will host a website to give internet access to dam-affected communities, and will continue publishing its quarterly magazine, Community.

Connecting Gender for Development (COGEN)
$24,415 (special funds)
To increase local journalists' reporting on human rights, democracy and good governance in northern Nigeria. COGEN will hold workshops for local journalists on basic reporting techniques, while emphasizing journalists' role as custodians of women's rights and democratic development in their communities. COGEN will monitor journalistic reporting before, in between, and after the workshops to determine the impact of trainings on actual journalistic output.

Constitutional Rights Project (CRP)
$50,000
To strengthen good governance and the rule of law in Nigeria through a more transparent and accountable budgeting process. CRP will train civil society representatives and legislators from key committees on how to conduct budget analysis, understanding budget details, and legal and constitutional theories of the budgeting process. CRP will also establish a budget monitoring committee which will publish a report on budget priorities. CRP will continue to maintain its resource center and publish its newsletter and weekly newspaper column.

Gender and Human Values Proactive (HUVAP)
$28,349
To promote human rights and women's participation in the judicial system in northern Nigeria. HUVAP will hold workshops for shari'a court judges, magistrate court judges, lawyers, prosecutors, court clerks, prison officials, traditional and religious leaders, and the general public in Zamfara state to focus on incorporating women into the administration of justice.

Human Rights, Justice and Peace Foundation (HRJPF)
$30,000
To improve government accountability, check corrupt practices, and cultivate interest in human rights and democracy among young people in southeastern Nigeria. HRJPF will lobby government officials for human rights and anti-corruption legislation, conduct workshops and hold conferences for youth, and encourage the formation of democracy clubs. HRJPF will also publish a quarterly newsletter and broadcast a radio program.

Human Rights Monitor (HRM)
$45,000
To deepen popular support for democracy, increase political participation among marginalized groups, and prepare the electorate and civil society for Nigeria's upcoming elections. HRM's activities will include the production of four special reports on electoral issues, hosting meetings for the Northern Coalition for Constitutionalism and Legislative Advocacy, and publication of the quarterly newsletter, Equal Justice.

Imo Youth Network Programme (IYNP)
$28,360
To promote democratic governance, human rights, civic responsibility and electoral participation among women and youth in three southern Nigerian communities. IYNP's activities will include training-of-trainers workshops for women and youth activists; seminars and focus group discussions on women's rights and political participation; and the production of posters, T-shirts, brochures, and a radio program.

Independent Advocacy Project (IAP)
$35,230
To promote greater transparency in the Nigerian government. IAP will assess the level of corruption in Nigerian government institutions through the research and publication of the Nigerian Corruption Index 2006. The Index will be presented at a national conference and highly publicized so as to intensify the public debate on corruption and serve as an advocacy tool for anti-corruption legal and administrative frameworks.

Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (IHRHL)
$49,000*
To raise awareness of the upcoming elections and encourage inhabitants of the Niger Delta, particularly women and youth, to participate in a nonviolent way and to demand accountability from elected leaders through democratic procedures. The IHRHL will organize town hall meetings in core states of the Niger Delta region and publish a weekly newsletter called Humanity Weekly.

League of Democratic Women (LEADS)
$50,000
To increase the capacity of Nigerians to advocate for their rights and to expose discriminatory practices against women. LEADS will organize a forum for civil society members in northern Nigeria to foster alliances among civil society groups and improve rights advocacy. LEADS will also publish a Hausa language version of its manual on women's rights under shari'a law, as well as the magazine Women's Advocate in English and Hausa.

Niger Delta Environment and Relief Foundation (NIDEREF)
$25,000*
To strengthen democratic representation, promote a transparent and accountable electoral process, and contribute to the reduction of violent conflict through effective political participation. NIDEREF will conduct stakeholder workshops and an awareness-raising campaign urging people to exercise their political rights by registering to vote, making an effort to be informed, going to the polls on election day, and demanding transparency and accountability from their elected leaders.

Nigerian Automobile Technicians Association (NATA)
$28,253
To cultivate a democratic culture and increase Nigerian workers' ability to participate democratically. NATA will continue to publish and distribute its quarterly journal, Grassroots Democracy Digest, with versions in English, Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo languages.

Women for Democracy and Leadership (WODEL)
$33,000*
To increase the ability of women journalists to monitor and report on the Nigerian electoral process. WODEL will establish an online networking group entitled "Women Journalists for Democracy", convene a series of workshops for female journalists to discuss ethics, and host a national conference for journalists and editors drawn from the major news houses across the country to discuss the role of the media in facilitating a free and democratic electoral process.

Women in Nigeria, Kaduna Chapter (WIN-Kaduna)
$37,761
To institutionalize affirmative action for women and enhance women's capacity to run for office in Kaduna state. WIN-Kaduna will organize training workshops for women interested in running for office and will continue its lobbying campaign in support of the proposed Gender and Equal Opportunities bill.

Youngstars Foundation
$38,150*
To enhance the development of youth leaders and foster positive relationships between youth of different backgrounds. Youngstars will conduct a multi-faceted youth education program entitled, "Democracy Series: Participation, Learning and Action Youths". The program will consist of three three-day trainings for 30 young people. Activities will be participatory and will include excursions into communities to discuss democracy issues with residents, field trips to relevant institutions, participant-led debates, guest speakers, and reports from former program participants.

Youth Action Group (YAG)
$24,077
To improve access of the electorate to their prospective leaders and their political platforms and to encourage a culture of meaningful democratic debate in southeastern Nigeria. YAG will host a live, weekly television call-in program called "Youth Parliament." Additionally, YAG will organize a Youth Parliament fan club and conduct a retreat for 30 young people to facilitate further discussion and debate issues presented on the TV program.