As the Association for Research on Civil Society in Africa, or AROCSA, convenes the sixth annual conference on civil society and development in Dakar, Senegal on Sept. 7-8 , the leading advocacy session will focus on the experience of 23 Nigerian civil society organizations in the Partnership for Advocacy in Child and Family Health, or PAS, program. According to the Africa Civil Society Sustainability Index, advocacy is the most significant area in which Nigerian CSOs have developed capacity since 2011, as evidenced by the near one point increase in CSO capacity between 2011 to 2020 — the highest increase among the seven indicators of performance monitored by the Sustainability Index.
The annual CSO Sustainability Index for Sub-Saharan Africa uses local CSO practitioners to ascertain the sustainability of the CSO sector in 23 African countries, including Nigeria. The index measures strengths and weaknesses in seven dimensions. Read here for more information.
CSOs in Nigeria have played critical policy advocacy roles, holding the government to account on development commitments and pledges since Nigeria’s return to democratic government in 2000. However, as the experience of PAS CSOs in Senegal will show, CSOs require institutional investment to continue driving and delivering on the change that Nigeria needs and deserves. Read more
