At the 2025 OGP Africa and Middle East Regional Meeting, young leaders, civil society actors, and digital governance experts came together to tackle a shared challenge: how to move from aid dependency to homegrown resilience. From bold strategies for CSO self-reliance to youth-led digital innovations and the power of local movements, this article captures the key conversations shaping the future of governance in Africa.

The discussion on civil society sustainability highlighted the pressing challenges of diminishing donor funding and the shift towards performance-based financing. According to René Edouard Mendis, “Funding cuts aren’t just coming from USAID, they’re also hitting partners like other traditional donors. This calls for a shift in mindset: African CSOs must not only anticipate the practical impacts but also develop alternative models to strengthen their autonomy and resilience.”

This shift necessitates a new approach grounded in three core strategies:

1. Radical resource diversification: CSOs must seek alternative funding sources, including local businesses, philanthropists, and community fundraising initiatives to reduce reliance on foreign donors.
2. Strategic alliances and shared services: Forming coalitions to collectively bid for funding, pool administrative resources, and enhance efficiency can strengthen their operational sustainability.
3. Policy influence as power-building: Beyond service delivery, CSOs must actively shape legislative frameworks, leveraging grassroots data to co-create policies with decision-makers.

As Samuel Kpartor articulated, “The crisis in traditional aid models isn’t a threat; it’s the catalyst we’ve needed to finally center African resources, expertise, and agency in our own development journey.”

Digital governance: bridging the divide and building trust

The plenary session on digital governance underscored the digital divide that continues to limit Africa’s potential. While technology presents opportunities for enhancing transparency, digital inequality remains a significant challenge.

Key takeaways from YDC ambassadors include:

• Digital sovereignty and local AI: Hindina Pierre NATWA emphasised the need for AI solutions rooted in African knowledge, stating, “We should have artificial intelligence based on local knowledge to solve local problems.”
• Building digital trust: Emmanuel Sani noted that without transparency in data collection and use, public trust in digital governance will remain elusive.
• Ethical and inclusive AI: Rehema Patricks stressed that Africa’s AI agenda must bridge the digital divide, ensuring that marginalized communities have access and agency in shaping technological advancements.

Moreover, digital governance is not just about access but also about empowerment. As Fatou Diery Diagne highlighted in the anti-corruption breakout session, automation plays a crucial role: “Open access to data is a powerful tool, but automation reduces corruption risks by minimizing physical interactions.”

Youth as partners, not just beneficiaries

A central theme across sessions was the role of young people in governance. While youth inclusion is often promoted in rhetoric, meaningful participation remains limited.

Samuel Kpartor’s engagement with the OGP leadership reinforced this reality: “Youth are not just beneficiaries of open governance, they are essential partners in driving it forward.” His experience from Liberia’s National Youth Consultation demonstrates the transformative impact of youth-led advocacy in fiscal transparency and accountability. 

Similarly, Ruth Adeosun stressed the importance of meaningful partnerships between government, civil society, and young people: “Change is possible when everyone, especially young voices, is meaningfully included.”

A collective path forward

The reflections from the OGP meeting make it clear that sustainable progress hinges on collaboration, innovation, and youth-driven solutions. From rethinking CSO sustainability to ensuring ethical digital governance, young leaders are at the forefront of shaping Africa’s governance future. As Hindina Pierre NATWA aptly put it, “What does ‘budget transparency’ mean if citizens can’t read a budget? What is ‘open data’ worth if it isn’t translated, shared, or understood?”

To drive real change, we must:

• Invest in local funding models that empower African CSOs.
• Promote AI and digital governance frameworks that reflect African realities.
• Ensure youth have a real seat at the table in policy-making, not just symbolic representation.

Sustainable progress is only possible when transparency, inclusion, and youth-driven collaboration are prioritized. The 2025 OGP Africa and Middle East Regional Meeting reaffirmed that change is not a solo journey, it thrives when governments, civil society, and young people come together, holding each other accountable and amplifying the voices that matter. 

Bolstering social movements

Rachael Mwikali, a Kenyan youth activist who was part of a delegation from Accountability Lab (AL), raised the importance of hyper-local coalitions as advocacy campaigns floundered in the wake of the U.S. funding cuts. She said social movements, situated deeply within communities, played a critical activist role that neither NGOs nor regional or international intermediaries could. “So how do we strengthen social movements? For those who live in a constituency or a community, how do we help ensure their local participation in social movements beyond formal programmatic work. We assume people don’t know their rights – but they do. We need to capitalize on this.” Social movements needed to take a lead in moving beyond providing educational resources to advocating more strongly for human rights and better delivery of services and also of democracy, she added.

Continuing oversight measures

Besides the massive job losses and widespread closures of civil society organizations due to the loss of funding support, fellow AL participant Benjamin Nwambui noted impending potential risks around political and election accountability. A lack of effective oversight by citizens, community groups and NGOs would be devastating in terms of unchecked leaders going rogue. “You can imagine the impact that a lack of oversight would have on unchecked leaders and on our democratic processes like elections,” he shared. Nwambui said it was also necessary to redefine governance ideals for Africans through wide consultations. “We need to shift from aid dependency to self-reliance,” he added.

Sustaining the benefits of microphilanthropy

Gregory Githinji raised the issue of community members working for large NGOs who, by virtue of their gainful employment, had become key pillars of support in their home communities. However, as aid and partner organizations continued to reel from job losses, other local actors needed to step in to fund projects and activities started by these microphilanthropists. “These employees also had the capability to bring in funding as they worked for larger NGOs. At the end of the day, we need to all be making contributions to village and rural areas.” 

Accountability Lab and the Youth Democracy Cohort