Sub-Saharan Africa Program

ICNL believes that civil society law reform must be designed and led by local actors. We have had the privilege of working with civil society leaders, government officials, lawyers, academics, and other stakeholders in eighteen countries in sub-Saharan Africa. We seek to empower local partners by providing comparative information, international legal expertise, and technical assistance on the legal framework for civil society.

We also undertake a number of initiatives to enhance the law reform capacity of local partners.

• ICNL has launched a regional program, the African Civil Society Support Initiative, in response to proliferating efforts by various governments in Africa to legally restrict the civic space for civil society and great demand for ICNL’s engagement from across the African continent. The Initiative aims to support the development of a regional network of civil society law experts, improve the capacity of civil society organizations (CSOs) to understand and overcome legal restrictions on the civil society sector, and support the integration of CSO law into the curricula of African educational institutions.
• ICNL has supported Ethiopian CSOs and their lawyers in developing strategies to cope with the highly restrictive Proclamation on Charities and Societies. Among other restrictions, the Proclamation precludes organizations receiving more than 10% of their funding from abroad from promoting children’s rights, disability rights, gender equality, and a range of other objectives.
• ICNL has provided technical assistance to and conducted workshops with CSOs in South Sudan as they prepared recommendations for parliament regarding a draft Voluntary and Humanitarian Organisations (VHO) Bill.
• In Uganda, ICNL has analyzed legislation governing civil society organizations, associated regulations, and the draft NGO Registration Act. ICNL has also commented on amendments to the Public Order Management Bill of 2013.
• In Rwanda, ICNL assisted civil society and the government to develop new legislation governing national NGOs, international NGOs, religious organizations, and political parties. In addition, working with the CSO sector, ICNL has provided support on the drafting of a Code of Ethics for civil servants, with consultative meetings throughout the country. ICNL continues to engage with CSOs and relevant government agencies to ensure that the implementation of the NGO laws is supportive of civil society.
• ICNL has conducted or supported in-depth assessments of the legal framework for civil society in several countries in Africa, including Mauritius(2006-2007), Senegal (2010), and Somaliland and Puntland (2011).
• ICNL provided extensive assistance to civil society and government officials working on amendments to the Public Benefits Organisation (PBO) Act in Kenya. This support included hosting two research fellows (from the government and civil society) who directly participated in the reform process.

For additional information or to request assistance, please contact Emerson Sykes, Legal Associate, at esykes@icnl.org.