In May 2025, when the West African Civic Tech Network came together, something shifted in me. Sitting in those rooms, listening to voices from across the region, I realized that the problems I had so often thought of as Nigerian were, in fact, West African.
As a Nigerian, we often joke that, “If you explain Nigeria and it makes sense to you, then it’s not Nigeria.” The contradictions, the frustrations, the resilience; they all feel so particular to our story. But in those moments of shared dialogue, I came to see that the struggles are not ours alone. They echo in Ghana, Mali, Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, and beyond. Across borders, the themes were strikingly similar: fragile democracies, weak institutions, and citizens who often feel excluded from the processes that shape their lives.
That gathering sparked something in me: a deeper belief that West Africa’s future depends on shared learning and collective solutions. Our continent has a long way to go, but there are glimpses of democracy to hold onto, however small. And in acknowledging those fragments, I began to appreciate that what looks like “pseudo-democracy” from the outside may, for many, simply be what they have come to know as democracy.
Fast forward to Abidjan in September, during my visit to Interpeace West Africa. That experience reaffirmed what had begun to grow in me months earlier. Political participation among young people across the region remains worryingly low. Elections are still marred by malpractice, and too many processes are designed to maintain the status quo rather than invite meaningful change.
The conversations from Abidjan have stayed with me. They remind me of the urgency of telling this story and of doing more than telling it. Africa is a continent of young minds, yet when youth are excluded from governance, it is not only unjust, it is unsustainable. We cannot build systems that ignore the majority. To truly move forward, we must create solutions that invite, support, and sustain youth participation.
What began as Citizens Learn Now (CLEAN) has now evolved into Know West Africa. The new name resonates more deeply with our vision, and it aligns us with colleagues in the network working through initiatives like Open West Africa and Observe West Africa. Together, these efforts signal something important: that we are not just building country-specific responses, but region-wide solutions that acknowledge our shared realities.
With Jennifer Moffatt and I co-leading this initiative, we have termed it Africa’s first pan-regional platform for civic education. It is still a work in progress, but the excitement is palpable. Know West Africa is not just a platform; it is an invitation to think, to learn, to act differently across borders. It is about creating knowledge that strengthens democracy, amplifies youth voices, and builds the kind of civic consciousness that can transform the region.
The journey ahead will not be easy. Building governance solutions in a region as diverse and complex as West Africa is demanding work. But I am convinced of this: the answers to our challenges will not come from working in isolation. They will come from knowing each other better, sharing our lessons, and committing to building together.
Because to truly know West Africa, is to begin the work of shaping it.
