West Africa Security Project

About this grant

The project goal is to strengthen the capacities, readiness and participation opportunities for national and regional civil society organizations to tackle the security-related drivers of a shrinking civic space in West Africa. To achieve this, Spaces for Change, a nonprofit registered in Nigeria, will train nonprofits in West Africa to engage effectively with these policies and understand their impact on civic space. Planned activities over the next two years will include strengthening the capacity and agency of national and regional movements and coalitions; ensuring civil society organizations adhere to the security laws; building the capacity of civil society organizations to engage effectively on previously-established regulations; and producing and disseminating new evidence and homegrown knowledge to equip organizations with information on how to pushback on problematic security norms that restrict civic space. Spaces for Change was established to uphold and protect human rights in all aspects of life by increasing the participation of communities in the development of social and economic policy.