Supporting Civic Tech Innovation Towards Meaningful Impact: The African Union Civic Tech Fund 2.0
Written by Yasmin Shapurjee
AUCTF 2.0: Building on a Solid Foundation
As Africa works toward the goals outlined in the African Union (AU) Agenda 2063, the African Union Civic Tech Fund (AUCTF) 2.0 offers valuable support for promoting citizen engagement, participation, and activism. Funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and aligned with the AU, this initiative aims to strengthen the role of technology in improving governance and development across the continent. As the African Union continues to support youth and women empowerment initiatives, as well as the broader sustainable development goals framework, programs like AUCTF 2.0 play a crucial role. By supporting civic tech initiatives that promote citizen engagement and participation, AUCTF 2.0 helps to advance the goals of inclusive development, good governance, and empowerment. This fund is not just about providing resources; it’s about equipping African innovators with the tools and knowledge they need to create lasting change in their communities.
AUCTF 2.0 follows the success of its first round, offering a 12-month program that supports African organisations, initiatives, and projects. By providing financial and technical assistance, the fund helps 15 innovators from 11 countries to develop and expand their civic tech solutions that can drive citizen-led action. The focus is on using technology to increase citizen participation in governance, address pressing development challenges, and create more inclusive decision-making processes. From this year’s cohort, the diversity of grantee profiles and projects was seen as beneficial, with each project receiving 15 000 Euros to scale and further develop their projects.
In 2024, the Civic Tech Innovation Network (CTIN) was brought on as an organising partner due to its expertise in the African civic tech ecosystem, while Ushahidi was selected as a technical partner for its strong track record in developing citizen-centric platforms.
Reflecting on the lessons from the first cohort of the AUCTF
Throughout the pilot AUCTF program which ran from 2022–2023, intentional efforts were made to support grantees through workshops, training sessions, and networking events. Storytelling was emphasized as a key component throughout the grant period. Some grantees had the chance to attend the Civic Tech Innovation Forum (CTIF) 2022 in Johannesburg, where nine participants from the Charter Project Africa contributed to “Deep Dives” webinars in October. Additionally, projects such as Justice Code Foundation’s “Vote Bot”, an Artificial Intelligence (AI) powered platform focused on enhancing voter education and registration for women and young people in Zimbabwe, featured on an episode of CTIN’s Civic Tech in Africa Podcast in December 2021.
Key insights from the first round of the AUCTF highlighted the need for continuous mentoring, not just in technical assistance but also in human resources. Research, ecosystem mapping, and building stronger linkages to the African Union Commission (AUC) were identified as essential components that could align more closely with Agenda 2063 to ensure the scalability and sustainability of initiatives. The scope of projects and their potential future impact were carefully considered, with creative storytelling having played a crucial role throughout the project journey. Another lesson was that selection and monitoring processes should support civic tech initiatives to support collaboration and potential partnerships with government authorities, with a clear understanding of the type of scaling expected — whether expanding user bases or building strategic partnerships with key stakeholders, especially government to support sustainable financing and meaningful impact.
Technology as a Tool for Change
The second round of AUCTF presents a significant opportunity for grantees to tackle governance and development issues using data and digital technologies. The fund emphasizes the importance of meaningful citizen participation, ensuring that governance structures are transparent, accountable, and responsive to the needs of the people. By supporting projects that foster better communication and data-driven decision-making, AUCTF 2.0 contributes to building a more engaged and empowered citizenry.
Youth at the Heart of the Initiative
AUCTF 2.0 also recognises the key role that Africa’s youth play in shaping the continent’s future. With a large proportion of Africa’s population under the age of 25, young people are essential to driving change. The fund aims to empower youth by supporting projects that amplify their voices and enhance their ability to influence governance and policy decisions.
Capacity Building for Long-Term Impact
As implementing partners, CTIN will lead the administration of the grant process, the ecosystems building, and research component of the project. Ushahidi’s role is to lead the capacity development component, engaging with 15 grantees over the course of a year through a series of specialised training and Masterclasses. The training curriculum is designed to help African innovators scale their civic tech projects and demonstrate impact, with the goal of attracting sustainable financing for their solutions to real-world challenges across Africa.
Things to look forward to
As part of the ecosystem-building component of the project, CTIN will be publishing four research outputs. The research aims to include and draw on the first-hand experiences and insights of the grantees to build a nuanced perspective of the civic tech innovation ecosystem and to understand regional challenges and opportunities. The ultimate goal of the research is to develop a State of Civic Tech digital platform that visually maps the size, nature and scope of different civic tech projects in Africa. By mapping the ecosystem, we hope to encourage civic tech actors to engage with others and identify areas for collaboration and resource sharing.
We can’t wait to witness and document the grantees’ individual journeys in the months ahead. The good news is that the AUCTF grantees will be meeting each other for the first time at the CTIF 2024: #UnderTheHood. The grantees will be actively involved in the programme, taking part in selective panel discussions, workshops and exhibitions. A dedicated Masterclass run by Ushahidi will be hosted as a closed session for the benefit of grantees. All of these opportunities will support knowledge sharing between civic tech innovators, networking, collaboration opportunities, exchanging lessons and mutual learnings.
Follow CTIN’s social media channels to learn more about the AUCTF grantees and the pioneering work they are doing in a range of communities and contexts.
Let’s continue to support African innovation that is championed by Africans for Africans!
Resources
