The Organisation des Femmes Actives de Côte d’Ivoire promotes women’s rights and empowerment through education, sports and advocacy.

Africa

See the 2010 Grantee Spotlight on Al-Khatim Adlan Centre for Enlightenment and Human Development (Sudan).

While Africa made democratic progress in 2010, the progress was often flawed, fragile and incremental. There were also significant reversals — but these setbacks may yet prove to be temporary or (in the long term) could actually strengthen the democratic movements on the continent. Yet what was clear and consistent across the continent in 2010 was the presence of NED grantees at the center of many of Africa’s toughest challenges.

Kenya’s constitutional reform referendum was a clear step forward, putting the country on a more democratic course, but Kenya’s 2012 elections and the ICC indictments of some of the nation’s top leaders will remain difficult challenges. NDI, IRI, CIPE and the Solidarity Center made significant contributions to political processes in the country, as seen in IRI’s work to strengthen local government which complemented the recent constitutional reforms. Guinea held its first democratic elections in 50 years despite the tension and ethnic politics that tainted the second round, and Somaliland’s democratic elections were a clear democratic triumph. NED’s grantees were important to the successful processes in both these countries.

Even Sudan’s elections, however flawed, were a step in the right direction, paving the way for the referendum on self-determination for the south, which now looks likely to be successful, despite uncertain long-term implications. NED grantees helped with civic education, election monitoring, conflict resolution, and independent press.

Approval of a Freedom of Information Act in Liberia and the pending passage of a similar act in Sierra Leone were important advances. Both initiatives were led by NED grantees, including CEMESP in Liberia, and the Society for Democratic Initiatives of Sierra Leone, whose director, Emmanuel Saffa Abdulai, was also a Reagan-Fascell fellow in 2010. Elections in Togo were a long-awaited democratic breakthrough, assisted by NED grantees.

In a more ambiguous category, Goodluck Jonathan’s smooth ascension to power in Nigeria and his appointment of Attihiru Jega as electoral commissioner was a positive development, and greatly improves that country’s long-term prospects for democracy. NED’s Nigerian grantees promoted electoral reform and education, strengthened government accountability, and highlighted continuing human rights abuses and corruption.

Such courageous activities, however, led to the assassination of a long-standing NED partner, Chidi Nwosu, president of the grantee Human Rights Justice and Peace Foundation (HRJPF) in Abia State. Against all odds, HRJPF had long crusaded against corruption and violence in southeast Nigeria and had proved instrumental in removing corrupt officials from the government. HRJPF, led by Chidi, mobilized a wide range of civil society organizations, including small business, truckers, teachers and lawyers, to demand non-violent reform. His death is deeply mourned, but one of his favorite sayings will continue to inspire democratic activists everywhere: “the salvation of the oppressed lies not in the hands of the oppressors, but in the hands of the oppressed.” :: MORE