What we do

The Mwananchi Programme is a five-year project, funded by UK Department for International Development. We work in Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, Sierra Leone, Uganda and Zambia. At the country level, the project is managed by six National Coordination Organisations (NCOs) with oversight, support and guidance from National Steering Committees (NSCs). Each country focuses on specific governance issues, for instance, in Zambia the consultation process resulted in the selection of policy and practice issues affecting women, youth, children and persons with disabilities.  

The Mwananchi Programme seeks to provide a dynamic platform that can give citizens a voice in enabling the state to be responsive, accountable and capable of delivering public services to poor people.  Read more about our theory of change.

Our cross-cutting activities:

• Participatory governance grant scheme: CSOs, media organisations and elected officials in each country were invited to apply for small grants (on average a total of 10 grant projects per country) for projects that focus on enhancing citizens’ voices to exact government accountability at various levels, around specific country governance issues. After applying in the first year, projects then received top-up grants to scale up those that have had an impact in specific contexts.
• Promoting constructive dialogue and negotiation among interlocutors and state actors aims to find ways to best address the formal and informal 'rules of the game' that impede citizens' voice and ability to hold governments to account on specific governance issues. Various types and forms of dialogue spaces are expanded, created and supported.
• Providing capacity development support for project grantees to enhance learning of new skills and techniques for more effective citizen engagement and evidence-based policy change; or unlocking existing capacities through influence on their engagement environments.
• Creating a platform to reflect on practical actions through ongoing research into good governance when working with CSOs, the media, and elected representatives.
• Establishing a Community of Practice among grantees, national coordination organisations and other organisations that work on good governance in each country and at the Africa region level to deepen learning and promote good practice.