2012-04-20Idasa's Sito project looks at what is happening in Madagascar as the country moves towards inevitbale elections. As a member of SADC, Madagascar was a signatory to these benchmark principles, and therefore ...

2012-04-04Idasa's Right to Know, Right to Education project publishes a toolkit for best practicies in school governance. To see the practical toolkit please follow the link below.

2012-01-31The African Democracy Forum (ADF) and the Africa Democracy Institute (IDASA) would like to congratulate the African Union and the 15 Member States who have ratified the African Charter on ...

2011-11-28This baseline election watch, by Idasa’s States in Transition Observatory (SITO), measures Madagascar’s electoral environment according to the SADC guidelines governing democratic elections.

2010-07-19A reflection on a speech by President Museveni of Uganda at an NIMD Conference held in May, 2010.    By Patience Zonge   Coming face to face with President Yoweri ...

2009-01-16By: Shun Govender and Beatrice Mutale Skagestad Ways to enhance Strategic Cooperation among Non-state Actors in Angola One of the important challenges in Angola has been the good governance of ...

2007-05-29Idasa is currently working in Angola with Norwegian Church Aid and the Angolan Council of Churches, to develop leadership capacity amongst citizens.  This work has involved developing and translating training ...

2005-12-15This study was conducted at the Oshikango border post and its surrounding area in October 2003. Official data on border crossings was supplemented by an Origin and Destination (O&D) Survey. ...

2009-12-22By Manyewu Mutamba Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) gathered in Copenhagen, Denmark, between 7 and 18 December 2009 for the 15th Conference of Parties ...

2009-10-28By Stefan Gilbert The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance was adopted by the African Union in January 2007. Since then, 27 Member States have signed the document, but ...

2009-10-21This is a publication by the Mo Ibrahim Foundation The Ibrahim Index of African Governance is a comprehensive ranking of sub-Saharan African nations according to governance quality. The Ibrahim Index ...

2009-08-27ANSA – Affiliated Network for Social Accountability – is hosted by Idasa.  Recently, Idasa staff have been visiting partners in Benin and Uganda, to discuss the quality of social accountability ...

2012-04-23Idasa launches its Democracy Index for Namibia and Botswana on 25 and 26 April 2012. The Namibia launch will be held on the 25th in Windhoek and on Thursday the ...

2011-07-27Country Synopsis                   The Republic of Botswana, formerly known as Bechuanaland, has made substantial developmental progress since its independence from Britain in ...

2009-10-21By Professor K. C. Sharma University of Botswana Is traditional leadership a system frozen in time? PGP started a dialogue within Idasa to deepen our understanding of the role traditional ...

2003-12-14For the last two decades, Botswana has had the reputation as a “country of immigration,” based on the large-scale import of skilled expatriates from Africa, Asia and the West. This policy ...

2012-01-31The African Democracy Forum (ADF) and the Africa Democracy Institute (IDASA) would like to congratulate the African Union and the 15 Member States who have ratified the African Charter on ...

2005-10-28Since the mid 1990’s civil society organisations in Africa have been involved in monitoring budget work and have been advocating for government budgets that are more “pro-poor”, namely budgets that ...

2005-07-29The Organisation for Community Capacity Building for Development (ORCADE) is a not-for-profit, politically non-aligned Burkinabè NGO which addresses economic and social issues in order to promote development. The mission of ...

2005-06-28Idasa presented a ‘Budget Analysis’ workshop at DIAKONIA West African regional conference in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso - the workshop was designed to empower civil society organisations by training them with ...

2010-10-06The AIDS Budget Unit (ABU) of Idasa’s Governance and AIDS Programme (GAP), in partnership with The Eastern Africa National Networks of AIDS Service Organisations (EANNASO), held a capacity-building workshop on ...

2010-08-11Professor Harry Boyte speaks to Idasa about what kind of politics is needed in Africa. Here he suggests that globally, there is an enormous need for a different kind of ...

2010-07-28The AIDS 2010 conference took place in Vienna. Idasa was in Vienna to discuss the state of leadership, government budgets and the challenges people living with AIDS face when they ...

2010-07-23Join the network of Democracy researchers and scholars in Africa on LinkedIn here.

2012-01-31The African Democracy Forum (ADF) and the Africa Democracy Institute (IDASA) would like to congratulate the African Union and the 15 Member States who have ratified the African Charter on ...

2007-02-28Chad is characterised by severe poverty, re-emerging socio-political conflicts and poor institutional capacity. The latter complicate the management of public finance. In addition Chad also faces the challenge of managing ...

2006-08-11By Antoine DOUDJINDINGAO Introduction The State budget is the government’s most important economic and social policy instrument and expresses its political engagements, economic and social priorities, objectives and decisions in ...

2005-07-29By Gilbert Maoundonodji, GRAMPTC (Group for Alternative Research and Monitoring of the Chad-Cameroon Oil Project), Chad   The participation of civil society in the management of public affairs has created ...

2007-12-14Etienne Yemek Oil-producing countries in the Gulf of Guinea are in the midst of an oil boom as multinational oil companies invest in the region for exploration and production from ...

2005-07-29By Christian Mounzéo & Brice Mackosso, Publish What You Pay (PWYP) Coalition, Congo-Brazzaville For the past three decades, the Congolese economy has been heavily dependent on the country’s principal natural ...

2005-06-28Idasa attended two events dealing with transparency in extractive industries in the region of the Gulf of Guinea. Both events were organised by the Congolese Coalition, ‘Publish What You Pay’ ...

2005-04-29The DIAKONIA West Africa in Ouagadougou Burkina Faso organized a regional conference focusing on budgets and advocacy for about sixty civil society participants. The conference aimed to facilitate a meaningful ...

2011-11-24With elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo set to go ahead on 28 November 2011, Idasa’s States in Transition Observatory (SITO) measures the country’s electoral environment according to SADC ...

2011-10-20Idasa’s States in Transition Observatory tracks the DRC’s progress towards or divergence from SADC standards as it heads towards November elections. Download the full report below.

2011-08-23Idasa’s SITO project keeps watch on developments in the Democratic Republic of Congo as it heads towards elections expected to be held in November 2011. Download the full report below.

2011-08-23SITO’s researchers measure the DRC’s electoral environment according to the SADC guidelines governing democratic elections. Download the full report for more information.

2012-01-31The African Democracy Forum (ADF) and the Africa Democracy Institute (IDASA) would like to congratulate the African Union and the 15 Member States who have ratified the African Charter on ...

2006-08-11By Eshetu Bekele Yimenu Background information The majority of the country’s poor people living on less than US$1 per day are women (in Ethiopia women constitute over 50% of the ...

2006-08-11By Elizabeth Mekonnen The word ‘budget’ used to turn off social activists and development practitioners. Debate on the budget or public finance in general was traditionally the domain of economists, ...

2005-07-30Tracking Training, Cape Town, 24-30 July 2005 This training was provided by the AIDS Budget Unit for the six countries involved in undertaking National AIDS Spending Assessments (NASAs), supported by ...

2006-08-11By Rohey Sey Corr  The Pro-Poor Advocacy Group (Pro-PAG) was registered as a non-governmental organisation (NGO) in August 2003 and has since developed into a leading NGO in The Gambia ...

2012-02-28Idasa's Right to Know, Right to Education Project publishes a Toolkit for School Budgeting and Budgeting Processes.

2012-01-31The African Democracy Forum (ADF) and the Africa Democracy Institute (IDASA) would like to congratulate the African Union and the 15 Member States who have ratified the African Charter on ...

2011-10-06Access to Information in the Provision of Quality Basic Education: Exploring its Role in Supporting Government and Civil Society’s Quest for Quality Education that Makes a Difference Download the Concept ...

2011-10-04The Ghana National Education Campaign Coalition (GNECC) in partnership with Idasa’s Right to Know, Right to Education project has worked together to address the major challenge of school absenteeism.A parent ...

2012-02-28Idasa's Right to Know, Right to Education Project publishes a Toolkit for School Budgeting and Budgeting Processes.

2011-10-06Access to Information in the Provision of Quality Basic Education: Exploring its Role in Supporting Government and Civil Society’s Quest for Quality Education that Makes a Difference Download the Concept ...

2011-10-04Recent community dialogue meetings in Lugari, Malindi and Kisii Central have shown the huge potential and capacities of women to participate in and influence development agendas, despite obstacles to their ...

2011-07-26Country Synopsis         Kenya gained independence from Britain in December 1963 and, until late 2007, was considered one of the more stable countries in Africa. The country’s ...

2010-09-20Trying to separate democracy and development makes no sense, said Idasa's Richard Calland in a talk to the World Bank Governance Partnership Facility workshop in Cape Town, noting that Idasa ...

2007-03-01The Lebanon Alternative Budget Project (LABP) aims to create a dynamic dialogue between Lebanese civil society and the Lebanese government about issues related to the development of the national budget. ...

2012-01-31The African Democracy Forum (ADF) and the Africa Democracy Institute (IDASA) would like to congratulate the African Union and the 15 Member States who have ratified the African Charter on ...

2011-07-29This Media Toolkit for Local Governance in Lesotho, produced by Idasa in partnership with the Media Institute for Southern Africa (MISA) and the Institute for the Advancement of Journalism, is ...

2010-07-14Migrant remittances are Lesotho's major source of foreign exchange, accounting for 25% of GDP in 2006. Since 1990, patterns of migration from Lesotho to South Africa have changed dramatically. These ...

2010-06-30AU Charter newsletter July 2010 - This Newsletter will serve to keep each other and the general public informed about the projects and work done around the campaign to promote ...

2012-02-22Bryan Sims, political analyst with Idasa's States in Transition Observatory, provides an insightful appeal for inclusiveness in the new government in Liberia in order to ensure stability and avert renewd ...

2011-11-14FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE11 November 2011Idasa, an African democracy institute, congratulates Liberians and Liberia's incumbent President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf on her re-election after what can only be described as a crucial, ...

2011-10-10Idasa analyst Bryan Sims notes that, if successful, the 11 October 2011 elections will further entrench democracy in Liberia and the region. Download the full report here.

2011-05-10This research, conducted in Monrovia and its outskirts with the support of democracy institute Idasa’s Economic Governance Programme for Public Expenditure and Small-Scale Agriculture Project, presents findings on the impact ...

2012-04-10Idasa releases a statement to convey its condolences on the passing of the late President wa Mutarika and congratulates Malawi with its swift transition to a new President, Joyce Banda.

2012-02-28Idasa's Right to Know, Right to Education Project publishes a Toolkit for School Budgeting and Budgeting Processes.

2011-10-06Access to Information in the Provision of Quality Basic Education: Exploring its Role in Supporting Government and Civil Society’s Quest for Quality Education that Makes a Difference Download the Concept ...

2011-09-21By Max Sullian and Joy Mwandama, community organisers from Zomba, MalawiIt’s hard to believe that Africans - Malawians in particular - have got the power that democracy offers them if ...

2012-04-10Idasa issues a statement raising concerns about the continued rebellion in the North of the country and declaring its optimism about the African led drive to re-install a civilian government ...

2012-03-26Idasa releases a statement condemning the military coup in Mali and calling for the return to office of democratic leadership.

2011-09-15Idasa provided Mali’s Budget Monitoring Group with three days of training in September that focused on what a budget is, budget analysis approaches, basic budget tools and concepts, and independent ...

2010-04-12AU Charter newsletter March 2010 - This Newsletter will serve to keep each other and the general public informed about the projects and work done around the campaign to promote ...

2011-03-07This report by Themba Shabangu, manager of Idasa’s Safety and Security Programme, is a comparative inquiry into the nature of violence and crime in Mozambique and South Africa.

2011-02-07SAMP’s latest policy paper examines the perceptions and attitudes of the rural partners of Mozambican and Swazi miners regarding HIV and, thereby, sheds light on the vulnerability profile of women ...

2010-07-19A reflection on a speech by President Museveni of Uganda at an NIMD Conference held in May, 2010.    By Patience Zonge   Coming face to face with President Yoweri ...

2010-03-17Governance and AIDS Programme Human Rights and Democratisation Unit Methodology Workshop Report  Mozambique, Maputo, Hotel Cardoso 23-24 November 2009 The Governance and AIDS Programme’s Human Rights and Democratization Unit launched ...

2012-05-03Idasa publishes its first Democracy Index for Botswana: ‘Unfinished Business: democracy in Namibia.' It provides an important analysis of the status of Namibia’s democracy based on a sound methodology. The report ...

2012-04-23Idasa launches its Democracy Index for Namibia and Botswana on 25 and 26 April 2012. The Namibia launch will be held on the 25th in Windhoek and on Thursday the ...

2011-07-27Country Synopsis             The conclusion of the Cold War paved the way for serious negotiations among South Africa, the front-line states, the South West Africa ...

2010-08-25Idasa’s Governance and AIDS Programme (GAP) examine Namibia’s observance of their Constitution and international human rights obligations through a discussion of the court case challenging the coerced sterilisation of HIV-positive ...

2012-01-31The African Democracy Forum (ADF) and the Africa Democracy Institute (IDASA) would like to congratulate the African Union and the 15 Member States who have ratified the African Charter on ...

2012-01-31The African Democracy Forum (ADF) and the Africa Democracy Institute (IDASA) would like to congratulate the African Union and the 15 Member States who have ratified the African Charter on ...

2008-04-25By Michelle T. Kuenzi Social capital is thought to explain variations in the performance of institutions and policies across different settings, and evidence has been shown of a relationship between ...

2007-11-08IDASA-Nigeria organized a two-day workshop on “Local Government and Election Democracy in Nigeria” on 17-18 October 2007 at Shiroro Hotel, Minna, Niger State. Which was funded by DFID. The event, ...

2007-05-21By Stefan Gilbert Nigeria's recent election was a highly anticipated event with international political and business interests watching closely.  IDASA's Nigeria office undertook an election observation project with a number ...

2012-01-31The African Democracy Forum (ADF) and the Africa Democracy Institute (IDASA) would like to congratulate the African Union and the 15 Member States who have ratified the African Charter on ...

2010-06-30AU Charter newsletter July 2010 - This Newsletter will serve to keep each other and the general public informed about the projects and work done around the campaign to promote ...

2005-01-31By Prisca Mujawayezu of the Consultation Council of Supporting Organisations on Basic Initiatives (CCOAIB) in Rwanda As part of its national poverty reduction strategy, Rwanda has allotted a central place ...

2004-10-30Idasa hosted an exchange programme for five participants from African countries from in October 2004. The participants were civil society organisation members from Rwanda, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Zambia and Swaziland. ...

2008-03-04Karin Alexander and Stefan Gilbert (Additional writing and background research: Christine Betzing & Justin Steyn) “All people have the right to their country’s natural resources...” – so says the African Charter ...

2007-11-29Idasa has undertaken a project to measure the impact of oil on good governance. The research has focused on four countries that are at various stages in the oil extraction ...

2012-03-28Idasa releases a statement congratulating the people of Senegal with the recent election of Macky Sall. Please see the attached link for the full statement.  

2007-12-07By Carrie  Konold This paper explores public perceptions of corruption in the Senegalese case using public opinion survey data collected by the Afrobarometer in 2005. The primary questions asked in ...

2005-07-25Idasa brought together researchers from six African countries in Pretoria this week (20-21 July, 2005), in preparation for a study on the potential effect of HIV and AIDS on electoral ...

2001-10-01Chris Mingo and Joachim Wehner President Thabo Mbeki and his colleagues Olusegun Obasanjo from Nigeria and Abdelaziz Bouteflika from Algeria spent much time this year to promote their Millennium Partnership ...

2012-01-31The African Democracy Forum (ADF) and the Africa Democracy Institute (IDASA) would like to congratulate the African Union and the 15 Member States who have ratified the African Charter on ...

2004-06-17In this programme three prominent women in African politics share their views on the role of women in bringing about change in African countries. The women are Margaret Dongo of ...

2003-09-18The objective of the workshop was to enhance the participation of civil society organisations in budgetary discussions through training. The deputy Minister of Finance and the Budget Director of Sierra ...

2012-05-14The purpose of the 2012 South African Budget Guide and Dictionary is to provide an accurate description of the South African budget system so as to enhance the ability of ...

2012-05-03Up market office space available in the Pretoria CBD, close to most government departments, Union building and embassies. Inclusive of high level 24/7 security services. Off street parking available but ...

2012-05-03In an interview with SABC's Interface program of 15 April Idasa Executive Director Paul Graham speaks of the challenges to political leadership in South Africa. To see the interview in ...

2012-05-02Idasa publishes its first Democracy Index for Botswana: ‘A Fine Balance: Assessing the Quality of Governance in Botswana’. It provides an important analysis of the status of Botswana’s democracy based ...

2012-02-28Idasa's Right to Know, Right to Education Project publishes a Toolkit for School Budgeting and Budgeting Processes.

2011-12-06Idasa’s States in Transition Observatory (SITO) facilitated a diplomatic briefing where representatives of Swaziland’s Civil Society Convention discussed their objectives and plans.

2011-10-06Access to Information in the Provision of Quality Basic Education: Exploring its Role in Supporting Government and Civil Society’s Quest for Quality Education that Makes a Difference Download the Concept ...

2011-08-12South Africa’s proposed Protection of Information Bill, now back with the adhoc parliamentary committee for redrafting, is chillingly similar to Zimbabwe’s Access to Information and Protection of Privacy Act, warns ...

2011-08-29This trends and outlook report was prepared by the Agricultural Sector Development Programme of Tanzania’s Ministry of Agriculture, Food Security and Cooperatives. Download the full report below.

2010-11-03By: Petronella Murowe “For poor people like us, education should be an instrument for liberation.” (Nyerere).  The rights to education and access to information are fundamental human rights. Poverty breeds ...

2010-10-21HakiElimu’s education campaign in Tanzania demonstrates the value of a multipronged strategy that incorporates sound research to support advocacy, broad efforts to educate and mobilize the public, and a willingness ...

2010-09-21We all are striving for a better life. Whether it’s by toiling in our farms, tending daily to our herds, ensuring our children are healthy and educated, or working in ...

2012-02-28Idasa's Right to Know, Right to Education Project publishes a Toolkit for School Budgeting and Budgeting Processes.

2011-10-06Access to Information in the Provision of Quality Basic Education: Exploring its Role in Supporting Government and Civil Society’s Quest for Quality Education that Makes a Difference Download the Concept ...

2011-09-1413 September 2011Uganda, Kampala Good leadership is more important than a leader’s HIV status. Preliminary findings from a study conducted in Uganda by the Makerere Institute for Social Research (MISR) ...

2011-03-29Uganda has an Access to Information law but what happens in practice is totally different. The general public struggles to access information, as demonstrated in our information request exercise. The ...

2012-02-28Idasa's Right to Know, Right to Education Project publishes a Toolkit for School Budgeting and Budgeting Processes.

2012-01-31The African Democracy Forum (ADF) and the Africa Democracy Institute (IDASA) would like to congratulate the African Union and the 15 Member States who have ratified the African Charter on ...

2011-10-13ACTIVITY ALERT12 October 2011, Lusaka, ZambiaZambia needs to speed up the process of political and fiscal decentralisation of local government structures to ensure that AIDS resources reach the most vulnerable ...

2011-10-06Access to Information in the Provision of Quality Basic Education: Exploring its Role in Supporting Government and Civil Society’s Quest for Quality Education that Makes a Difference Download the Concept ...

2012-05-17Across sub-Saharan Africa, formal institutional rules are coming to matter much more than they used to, and have displaced violence as the primary source of constraints on executive behavior. From ...

2012-05-03Idasa's Sito project looks at what is happening in Zimbabwe as the country moves towards inevitbale elections. As a member of SADC, Zimbabwe was a signatory to these benchmark principles, ...

2012-04-23In a revealing paper Derek Matyszak of the Research and Advocacy Unity of Zimbabwe analyses the legal and political realities of what he calls the ZIMPLATS saga. Matyszak addresses what he calls ...

2012-04-16Idasa's Sito project looks at what is happening in Zimbabwe as the country moves towards inevitbale elections.   As a member of SADC, Zimbabwe was a signatory to these benchmark ...