West Africa: Elections in the Time of Covid-19 - What Can West Africans Do to Prepare?

The Coronavirus (COVID-19) has taken the world by storm. Minute by minute, we're assaulted with content on the spread of the virus and its health challenges, how countries are or… Read more »

Africa: Open Society Pledges Support for African Cultural Heritage Restitution

The Open Society Foundations today announced a $15 million initiative to strengthen efforts to restore cultural objects looted from the African continent. Over four years, the… Read more »

West Africa: The Backpack

Salome (not her real name) looks forlorn and detached from the rest of the kids. Salome is a 10-year-old pregnant child, a survivor of sexual crime in the heat of the insurgency in… Read more »

Liberia: Two LAS Officials In Senegal For Capacity Building Training

The Executive Director of the Liberia Albino Society (LAS), Patricia Logan and Clarence Success Clay are currently in Dakar, Senegal attending a three-day intensive capacity… Read more »

Nigeria: How poor persons spend months, years in prison unjustly

•Man languishes in jail for 6 months for stealing juice worth N600  Read more »

Nigeria: Presidency Moves To End Kaduna Crisis

 –  As the conflict between farmers and herdsmen linger in Kaduna, the office of the Vice President, Proffessor Yemi Osinbajo has made moves to bring to an end… Read more »

Ghana: GAPA Takes Campaign Against Stigma On Albinism To Remote Communities

The campaign which is being sponsored by the Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA), sought to sensitize members of the communities, where customary banishing on persons… Read more »

Senegal: How are young Africans engaging electoral processes? Lessons from Nigeria and Senegal

The months of February and March were both interesting and slightly turbulent for West Africa, with presidential elections taking place in Nigeria and Senegal. Both countries hold… Read more »

West Africa: Extraordinary Women in West Africa

Out of the ordinary......comes the extraordinary. Read more »

West Africa: Women's Rights in West Africa, everybody's business - The campaign

Women make up more than 50% of West Africa's population and are more economically active than anywhere else in the world. Their families, communities, and countries are built off… Read more »

West Africa: Innovating livelihood options for the planned restoration of Ogoniland Summary

The Ogoniland area of the Niger Delta region has experienced widespread contamination from petroleum hydrocarbons originating from Nigeria's active oil sector. Read more »

Nigeria: Nigerian Democracy's Uncertain Future

Last month, Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari, a 76-year-old former military general, won his second term in an election marred by low voter turnout, legal controversy,… Read more »

Nigeria: Roots of Nigeria's election violence

Elections are the battleground for resource control, which raises the stakes and likelihood of clashes. Read more »

Africa: West Africa's Democratic Tipping Point?

ABEOKUTA/MUNICH/FREETOWN/LILONGWE – The decision to postpone Nigeria's presidential election, made just hours before polls were due to open, has raised fears about the… Read more »

Nigeria: #nigeriadecides2019 - OSIWA Update

On the 16th of February, at about 2.30am the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced the postponement of Nigeria's General Elections to the 23rd of February for… Read more »

Ghana: My Reflections from a Field Trip to Paga and Communities in the Upper East Region of Ghana

We arrived in Tamale Northern Ghana around 8:00 am. The fifty-minute flight from Accra was smooth despite the foggy weather due to the early morning showers.  We had a… Read more »

Sierra Leone: CrimeSync Wins the Innovating Justice Awards 2019

The annual Innovating Justice Awards 2019 competition has been won by CrimeSync from Sierra Leone. The competition was organized by HiiL to promote justice innovation and… Read more »

Nigeria: Religious Leaders Warn Against Impending Revolt

…Call for Greater Citizen Action to Check Drift Read more »

Nigeria: Elections - NGO Engages 7,400 Religious Leaders As Educators On Proper Electoral Conduct

A Civil Society Organisation (CSO), ReclaimNaija Grassroots Movement is to engage 7,400 religious leaders from all the states of the Federation to teach on civic and voter… Read more »

Africa: Corruption Can Kill – GACC

Madam Beauty Narteh, Executive Secretary of Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (GACC) said corruption could “kill” because it exacerbated poverty and thwarted development. Read more »

West Africa: Promoting Social Accountability in West Africa

 – In West Africa, there are numerous examples of how citizens and civil society groups hold their government, private sector actors and development partners… Read more »

West Africa: Why the One-Term Limit Does Not Improve Governance

During the 2016 presidential elections in Benin, then candidate and current president Patrice Talon promised that, if elected, he would only serve one term and would also amend the… Read more »

Sierra Leone: Report launch - Challenges Faced by Persons With Albinism in Sierra Leone

Today marks the official launch of the report titled "Harassed, Misunderstood and Forgotten: Challenges faced by Persons with Albinism in Sierra Leone", the first of its kind in… Read more »

West Africa: OSIWA Announces Appointment of New Executive Director

The Open Society Initiative for West Africa is happy to announce the appointment of Ayisha Osori as the new Executive Director of the Foundation. Read more »

West Africa: Building Community Support for Drug Users using Mobile Cinemas

Waves of dialogue in West Africa on drug policy reform with the ultimate goal of decriminalizing drug use and possession for personal use have been making headway. Progress is… Read more »