How To Apply For Civic hive Hack4Democracy Program 2025 for West Africa
Hack4Democracy is an annual hackathon bringing together Civic tech innovators, activists, and organizations across West Africa to create cutting-edge digital solutions for democratic engagement.
Deadline: April 14
Applications are now open for the 2025 CivicHive Hack4Democracy Program. Hack4Democracy is an annual hackathon bringing together CivicTech innovators, activists, and organizations across West Africa to create cutting-edge digital solutions for democratic engagement. By leveraging technology, participants tackle challenges such as voter apathy, electoral fraud, misinformation, and shrinking civic spaces. In the last two decades, The West Africa region has experienced significant political changes in recent years, with growing demands for greater transparency, accountability, and citizen engagement in democratic processes.
This hackathon will provide opportunity for civictech innovators, activists, and civil society organizations to collaborate and develop digital solutions that enable citizens to actively participate in democratic process, decision-making, and governance.
Eligibility
The hackathon focuses on solving critical issues in democracy through these five thematic areas.
Applicants must be residents or citizens of one of the 15 West African countries:
. Benin
- Burkina Faso
- Cape Verde, Côte d’Ivoire
- Gambia
- Ghana
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Liberia
- Mali
- Mauritania
- Niger
- Nigeria
- Senegal
- Sierra Leone
- Togo
Benefits
- Fully funded logistics and lodging for collaborating organizations inside West Africa.
- Take off grants and technical assist to develop and launch merchandise.
While technical skills are highly encouraged, non-technical participants with experience in governance, political activism, civic education, or communication are equally welcome to ensure the solutions are aligned with real-world needs.
- The hackathon will be conducted in English and French. Participants must be proficient in at least one of these languages to effectively collaborate with others, engage in discussions, and present their solutions.All proposed projects and solutions must align with the core theme of the hackathon, which is to use technology to:
- Strengthen e-governance and digital civic engagement.
- Enhance citizen participation in democratic processes;
- Promote transparency and accountability in government;
- Prevent Internet Shutdowns and shrinking civic spaces;
- Combat misinformation and improve political literacy;
CLICK HERE TO APPLY
