Abstract
Roughly three decades after the concept of civil society first became part of active discourse in sub-Saharan Africa, early expectations of its potential role in and impact on development have more or less concretized, and the literature on it is more or less flourishing. However, much of this literature seems based on two questionable assumptions: (1) that it is a foreign import that did not exist until the early 1980s; and (2) that civil society has evolved on its own in an unstructured way. Drawing on my observations and experience of working with African and international civil society organizations (CSOs) over the past decade, I offer a critical analysis of civil society in West Africa, focusing on its origins in African associational life, and on targeted efforts to shape it in a way that would help it fulfill the roles ascribed to it in development discourses.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Atuguba, R. A. (2007). Analysing the draft bill for trust and non-profit making civil society organisations. Presentation made at the third G-RAP RAO convention.
Banks, N. & Hulme, D. (2012). The role of NGOs and civil society in development and poverty reduction. Brooks World Poverty Institute (BWPI). Working Paper 171.
CIVICUS. (2011). Bridging the gap: Citizens, organisations and dissociations. Civil society index summary report: 2008–2011.
Elone, J. (2010). Backlash against democracy: The regulation of civil society in Africa, Democracy and Society (Vol. 7, No. 2). http://www.democracyandsociety.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/EloneCivilSocietyAfrica7.2.pdf. Accessed 18 April 2013.
Essel, S. T. (2013). Opening remarks on the role of the financial intelligence centre at the civil society forum on the new anti-money laundering and terrorism act in Ghana.
Fowler, A. (1991). The role of NGOs in changing state society relations: Perspectives from Eastern and Southern Africa. Development Policy Review (Vol. 9, No 1). London: Overseas Development Institute.
Ghana Research and Advocacy Programme. (n. d.). A Legislative Process for Ghana’s NGO/CSO Sector. http://www.g-rap.org/ngo_legislation.html, http://www.democracyandsociety.com/blog/wpcontent/uploads/2010/07/EloneCivilSocietyAfrica7.2.pdf. Accessed 18 April 2013.
Government of Ghana. (2006). Trust-NGO Draft Bill.
International Center for Not-for-Profit Law. (2013a). NGO Law Monitor: Nigeria, http://www.icnl.org/research/monitor/nigeria.pdf. Accessed 18 April 2013.
International Center for Not-for-Profit Law. (2013b). NGO Law Monitor: Sierra Leone, http://www.icnl.org/research/monitor/sierraleone.pdf. Accessed 18 April 2013.
Interview with Frank Boakye-Dankwa, Business Manager, Ghana Association of Private Voluntary Organisations in Development, Accra, 17 April 2013.
Lewis, D. (2002). Civil society in African contexts: Reflections on the usefulness of a concept. Development and Change, 33(4), 569–586.
Lewis, D. (2010). Nongovernmental Organizations, Definition and History. International Encyclopedia of Civil Society, 1056–1062.
Manji, F. (2002). The missionary position: NGOs and development in Africa. International Affairs, 78(3), 567–583.
Moyo, B. (2009). Governing the public sphere: Civil society space in Africa. Background paper.
Moyo, M. (2013). The role of NGOs under the FATF 40 Recommendations and Ghana’s anti-terrorism legislation. Presentation made at the civil society forum on the new anti-money laundering and terrorism act in Ghana.
n. a. (2004). Draft National Policy for Strategic Partnership with NGOs.
Nget, A. (2012). President Jammeh Cautions NGOs. http://dailynews.gm/africa/gambia/article/president-jammeh-cautions-ngos. Accessed 18 April 2013.
Nigerian Network of NGOs. (2012). Code of Conduct for Non-Governmental organisations in Nigeria. http://nnngo.org/sites/default/files/Code%20of%20Conduct%20for%20NGOs.pdf. Accessed 18 April 2013.
Obadare, E. (2011). Civil society in sub-saharan Africa. The Oxford handbook of civil society. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Smith, D. (2003). Patronage, Per Diems, and the ‘Workshop Mentality’: The Practice of Family Planning Programs in Southeastern Nigeria. World Development, 31(4), 703–715.
Sogge, D. (2004). Civil domains in African Settings: Some Issues. Discussion paper prepared for the Hivos Africa Consultation in Arusha, Tanzania.
Warren, S., & Lloyd, R. (2009). Civil society self-regulation: The global picture. Briefing Paper No 119. London: One World Trust.
West Africa Civil Society Institute (2009). Needs assessment of the West African civil society forum. Accra: WACSI.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media New York
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Mamattah, T. (2014). Building Civil Society in West Africa: Notes from the Field. In: Obadare, E. (eds) The Handbook of Civil Society in Africa. Nonprofit and Civil Society Studies, vol 20. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8262-8_10
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8262-8_10
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY
Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-8261-1
Online ISBN: 978-1-4614-8262-8
eBook Packages: Humanities, Social Sciences and LawSocial Sciences (R0)