Civil Society Organisations and Democratic Grassroots Governance in Africa: Risk, Challenges, and the Way Forward

Abstract

In the late 1970s and 1980s when the third wave of democratisation began to register its influence in authoritarian states in Sub-Saharan Africa, civil society organisations (CSOs) were seen as vital partners in the push for the democratisation of the political and economic space. Yet, in the crisis of democracy and development in Africa, the state and its government agencies at all levels have shown a lack of initiative and capacity to address and redress the socio-economic and political decline in the polity. Within the framework of political participatory theory, this article considers the relationship between CSOs and democratic grassroots governance in Africa. The aim is to identify the risks confronting CSOs in their efforts to promote democratic grassroots governance. This article adopted a qualitative approach and is descriptive in nature; authoritative scholarly sources were reviewed during a desktop study to identify the relevant publications. The findings suggest that human resources, financial management, effective governance, and long-term sustainability are among the primary risks that have been highlighted. Furthermore, transparency, competitiveness, competition, funding, financial management, and resources are among the main challenges. The article argues that CSOs are major players in the drive towards democratic governance in various African communities. They are in a good position to champion the cause of delivering the dividends of democratic governance to the grassroots. It therefore recommends, among others, that CSOs should avoid following the vogue in other parts of the world and be indigenous, creative, and innovative, particularly in detecting or identifying areas of need and concern in different local communities across Africa.