Enhancing digital skills, promoting civic tech solutions, and raising awareness about online political engagement in the Sahel region.
The Challenge
The Digitalise Youth Project, part of the Digital Democracy Initiative, aims to address the shrinking civic space and rampant disinformation in the Sahel and neighbouring regions by empowering local youth activists and civil society organisations.
Launched in January 2025, it focuses on enhancing digital skills, promoting civic tech solutions, and raising awareness about online political engagement. By connecting human rights defenders and the tech community, the project equips young activists and media organisations with the knowledge and tools to navigate the digital ecosystem, protect themselves from surveillance, and fight against disinformation. In addition to its capacity-building work, Digitalise Youth’s advocacy efforts seek to promote digital rights at local, regional, and international levels.
“Any society that does not succeed in tapping into the energy and creativity of its youth will be left behind.”
Kofi Annan
About the Digitalise Youth Project
This two-year project seeks to break down barriers to inclusive democratic participation in digital spaces while raising awareness about online political mobilisation and engagement.
Targeting youth activists, individuals and CSOs with limited digital use, the project will equip them with the resources and knowledge needed to navigate and access the digital ecosystem. By actively involving tech developers and civic tech organisations, Digitalise Youth will bridge gaps between the Human Rights Defenders community and the tech community.
The project will also empower activists and media organisations to mitigate the risks of using digital technologies by providing them with the knowledge, tools and skills to protect themselves from digital surveillance and fight against disinformation.
Equipping young activists and media organisations with the knowledge and tools to navigate the digital ecosystem, protect themselves from surveillance, and fight against disinformation.
At a Glance
Digitalise Youth
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The Digitalise Youth project will be carried out in fourteen countries in the Sahel and neighbouring regions: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Chad, Ethiopia, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan and Togo.
The project will support content creators and develop a digital rights toolkit for advocacy campaigns.
Advocacy
Activities
A number of activities will be organised by the partners, including training, hackathons, fellowships, grants and more.
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Partners
Digitalise Youth
AfricTivistes is a pan-African organisation that promotes and defends democratic values, human rights and good governance through civic tech. Formerly known as the union of bloggers and web activists from across the continent to promote and defend democracy, AfricTivistes has created a network of change agents in Africa to foster collective intelligence in the face of the significant challenges holding back democracy and unity on the continent.
Code for Africa (CfA) is the continent’s largest indigenous nonprofit dedicated to fostering informed societies. Informed societies thrive on resilient knowledge economies and well-connected networks of “sensemakers.” At CfA, we build these ecosystems by harnessing open data and civic technologies – ranging from AI and drones to other cutting-edge innovations. Our goal is to develop enabling tools and actionable insights that strengthen digital democracies across Africa.
CFI Media Development (CFI) is a French public agency that supports the world’s media. It contributes to the fight for freedom of expression, press freedom and media independence. Living conditions can only be improved in a country when reliable, independent, verified information is guaranteed. This is the spirit in which CFI’s mandate was conceived.
The European Partnership for Democracy (EPD) is a network with a global remit to support democracy. In 2008, several organisations came together to create EPD as a partnership to reinforce European democracy support by building a community that advocates and acts for democratic values around the world. EPD works inside and outside Europe because we recognise that democracy is a universal aspiration and that the contemporary challenges and opportunities for democracy are global in scope.
The Kofi Annan Foundation works closely with partners from international and regional organisations, foundations, universities, and civil society to help create a fairer and more peaceful world where no one is left behind, democratic principles and the rule of law are upheld, and divides are bridged through dialogue and international cooperation.
Scouting in Africa is among the leading youth movements in Sub-Saharan Africa. Over 8 million young people and more than 620,000 adult volunteers are registered in the region. The Africa Scout Region has among the highest number of Member Organizations in the world. It supports 42 National Scout Organizations, and is also home to seven potential members.
With the contribution of the Netherlands Institute for Multiparty Democracy (NIMD)