Under the theme “Mobilizing Democratic Forces: Civil Society and Political Society,” 45 emerging leaders from Africa gathered in Abuja, Nigeria on December 2-3, 2015. The meeting objectives were to share knowledge and best practices in addressing issues of shrinking political and civic space in Africa, and to discuss the importance of developing effective and sensible partnership between civil society and political actors in advancing democratic reforms. The meeting served as an important opportunity for activists to learn from Nigerian Members of Parliament and government officials about Nigeria’s unique experience in partnering between civil society and political society as well as the recent Nigerian elections.  Additionally, this meeting helped participants to identify and map existing space and opportunities for optimal youth participation in political and civil society, find best ways to sustain long-term networking, and to foster relationships of cross-border solidarity. The meeting was co-organized with two of our participating organizations from Nigeria, Youngstars Foundation and Youth Initiative for Advocacy, Growth and Advancement (YIAGA).

The gathering in Abuja was a follow-up to the Youth Leadership and Democratic Transitions in Africa regional meeting held on March 12-14, 2015 in Dakar, Senegal, which brought democracy activists together to discuss the path forward for emerging African democracy movements.