Our Stories, Our Voices, Our Power: Reflections from Afrotellers 2025

In Johannesburg, storytellers, artists, and activists from across Africa gathered for the Afrotellers Conference 2025, a three-day celebration of narrative power under the theme "Our Stories. Our Voices. Our Power."  The event created space for reflection, creativity, and dialogue on how storytelling can shape governance, integrity, and social change. Day One opened with Professor René Smith (University of the Witwatersrand of Arts), whose welcome remarks highlighted storytelling as a form of truth-telling and transformation. She reminded participants that stories are not passive reflections of culture but active tools for change — a message that set the tone for the three days [...]

2025-10-28T10:36:22+00:0028th October 2025|

Creating a democracy worthy of Nepal’s GenZ

Nepal stands at a critical juncture. After years of frustration over kleptocracy, corruption and electoral manipulation, citizens and their new leaders have a sequence of key decisions to make.  With elections scheduled within the next few months, education on electoral processes and simplifying processes around voter cards are some of the priorities the country faces. This, in a country where young voters account for more than half of the electorate. Persistent shortcomings in the election system have already generated widespread discontent, creating conditions that could shake the legitimacy of the upcoming elections if these issues are not addressed comprehensively. Another [...]

2025-09-23T10:11:35+00:0023rd September 2025|

Ending Favoritism in Tenders: How Innobid Levels the Playing Field for Entrepreneurs

CEO and co-founder of Innobid, Eliud Luutsa Innobid wants to make public procurement more accessible, transparent, and fair. The platform is for those putting out tenders, bidding for tenders, and those wanting to keep a watchful eye on the goings on of both. Not only does it aim to serve entrepreneurs, governments, ordinary people and the private sector, it’s equalizing the playing field as it goes.  It’s been three years since Innobid co-founder Eliud Luutsa and team became one of the winners of the South and East Africa edition of HackCorruption. What started as an idea for an [...]

2025-09-19T13:47:20+00:0017th September 2025|

“Building a new muscle in democracy” with SpeakUp Nepal’s Prince Shah Chaudhary

Within days, protests in Nepal reshaped the country’s politics. A government social media ban was the spark, but years of frustration with systemic corruption drove thousands into the streets. People were killed, many more injured, curfews were imposed, leaders resigned, parliament was dissolved, and Nepal appointed its first female interim Prime Minister. Elections are now planned for March 2026, with a reformist cabinet promising change. This interview was conducted with our Civic Charge fellow, Prince Shah Chaudhary, CEO of SpeakUp Nepal, about his vision for youth-driven accountability. The events in Nepal over the past few days have been seismic. What [...]

2025-09-17T12:04:05+00:0015th September 2025|

Donors must hold the line on anti-corruption: Perspectives from a former USAID senior advisor

As the US Agency for International Development's (USAID) Senior Anti-Corruption Advisor – and later Deputy of its Anti-Corruption Task Force – Accountability Lab Non-Resident Senior Fellow Jennifer Anderson Lewis had the privilege of helped shape and witnessed firsthand what happens when a major donor makes anti-corruption a strategic priority. It began with a frank admission: like all donors, USAID was not truly prepared to meet the scale and complexity of modern corruption—a transnational, systemic threat undermining development outcomes, democratic institutions, and global stability. As a bilateral Agency primarily structured to work at the country level, we had limited tools to [...]

2025-09-12T13:18:27+00:0012th September 2025|

The Invisible Weaver’s Wisdom: Re-Stitching Philanthropy’s Approach for Enduring Resilience

All over the world, the civic infrastructure hasn’t collapsed completely. It’s being re-stitched together, not only by organizations and movements scrambling to adapt, but by people who have relational capital and are already adapting. Accountability Lab Senior Fellow Florencia Guerzovich calls them invisible weavers. Invisible weavers aren’t a new category on your grantee list. They’re the ones making your existing investments work better — and go further. They’re the ones connecting the dots when formal systems falter and when frameworks show cracks. They move between sectors, roles and vocabularies: donor to NGO, movement to ministry, global north to rural community. [...]

2025-09-12T12:55:17+00:0012th September 2025|

How co-leadership helps us navigate a sector-wide crisis

Accountability Lab's co-CEO Chief Innovation and Operations Officer, Jean Scrimgeour shared her first-learnings about how co-leadership helps position nonprofit organizations to better navigate today’s sector-wide challenges. In January, executive orders to freeze all U.S. international development aid upended an already resource-strapped sector. Overnight, organizations that had spent decades building programs and partnerships found themselves facing existential questions and extremely difficult leadership challenges. At Accountability Lab, we found our co-leadership model gave us an unexpected advantage. Eighteen months earlier, when Blair Glencorse, Cheri-Leigh Erasmus, and I decided to transition from a traditional CEO structure to shared leadership, we couldn’t have predicted how profoundly [...]

2025-09-12T08:56:57+00:0012th September 2025|

Tackling Illicit Finance: AL shaping the agenda at Wilton Park

Our co-CEO Blair Glencorse was invited by the UK Government to contribute to the Wilton Park discussions, helping to shape the agenda for the upcoming Foreign Secretary's Countering Illicit Finance Summit. Over two days, he worked alongside leading experts in anti-corruption and finance, as well as key UK decision-makers, to address one of the most pervasive threats to the global political system. The challenge is immense. Despite decades of anti-money laundering reforms, less than 1% of criminal proceeds laundered through the financial system are seized. The human impact is devastating, with illicit financial flows draining over $90 billion annually from [...]

2025-09-17T09:54:08+00:0012th September 2025|

Rethinking climate action at the community level

Climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is felt, visible and personal in many ways. From unpredictable rainfall patterns leading to flash floods destroying lives and livelihoods, to infrastructure damage and unbearable heat, climate change is reshaping our lives in ways that make it difficult to ignore. Nepal’s September 2024 flash flood on the Roshi river left a lasting impact. The Government of Nepal reported at least 224 deaths, 158 injuries, 28 missing persons. Around 13,300 people required rescue, while at least 1,200 houses were destroyed or damaged. These victims lost not only life and property this time [...]

2025-09-24T16:52:24+00:007th August 2025|

Job opportunity for Junior Communications Specialist

Location: Johannesburg, South Africa (Hybrid/Remote flexibility) Contract Type: Full-time Start Date: As soon as possible Accountability Lab is a global nonprofit that supports change-makers to build accountable, transparent institutions and a more equitable world. With teams across Africa, Asia, and Latin America, we empower citizens to engage in governance and support leaders who act with integrity. We are a dynamic, fast-paced organization driven by values, creativity, and a passion for positive change. Learn more at www.accountabilitylab.org. About the Role We are looking for a Junior Communications Specialist with a particular interest in social media and website maintenance to join our [...]

2025-08-05T09:03:49+00:0029th July 2025|
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