African Civic Engagement Academy

Develop professional skills to improve community and government engagement in your country.

The African Civic Engagement Academy (ACEA) is a free online training program and networking opportunity offered to selected mid-career NGO and public sector leaders across sub-Saharan Africa. Supported by the U.S. Department of State, the ACEA provides 60+ hours of virtual coursework and peer discussion in English, French, and Portuguese.

2022 Applications are Closed

The United States is a committed partner to Africa and is honored to support the African Civic Engagement Academy. Course content will be delivered in partnership with the University of Georgia. Chartered in 1785, the University of Georgia is the oldest state-chartered public institution in the United States and is home to over 38,000 undergraduate and graduate students.

2023 African Civic Engagement Summit

Congratulations to the 52 trainees who participated in the African Civic Engagement Academy (ACEA) program! They received certificates of completion after a six-month training and networking program for mid-career NGO and public sector leaders across sub-Saharan Africa. (via U.S. Embassy in Zimbabwe)

Who is the ACEA Intended For?

The Academy is intended for mid-career individuals with demonstrated leadership experience in NGO, non-profit, or public sector roles. Space is limited and applications are competitive.

Participants will:

Be between the ages of 30 and 45 as of January 1, 2022.
Serve in a leadership role with a civil society organization (including NGOs and non-profit community organizations) or a government unit responsible for engaging with the public.
Have a demonstrated record of leading civic engagement efforts, including projects and programs to advocate, engage, and communicate in an inclusive way.

Instruction

Selected participants will receive online instruction and participate in peer discussions organized into five courses:

Principles of Civic Engagement, including strategies for NGO, non-profit, and government sector leaders to advocate and engage with one another.
Political Inclusion, covering steps that can be taken to improve the political and social inclusion of underrepresented communities.
Media Management, including the role of old and new media as a bridge between government and civil society.
Non-Profit Management, focusing on key management skills relevant to community-facing organizations (including strategic planning, supervisory skills, giving feedback, and developing an inclusive organizational culture).
Program Design, Implementation, and Evaluation, helping you to develop and implement participatory projects relevant to civil society (including program design, stakeholder engagement, needs assessment, monitoring and evaluation, and grant writing).

Participants will also be exposed to leadership development and strategic planning concepts. All participants will develop a peer-mentored Civic Engagement Action Plan, where they identify steps to bring a civic engagement project to life in their community or government unit.

Certificate of Completion

Participants who successfully complete the ACEA coursework and submit a Civic Engagement Action Plan will receive a digital Certificate of Completion from the University of Georgia which may be displayed as a digital badge.

Network With NGO And Public Sector Leaders Across Sub-Saharan Africa

Each ACEA component is accompanied by peer discussion in French, Portuguese, and English.

Through these discussions, participants will be able to make new connections and exchange views with peers from across sub-Saharan Africa while they develop their Civic Engagement Action Plan, gaining valuable input into the project they will propose for their own organization or public sector unit.

At the conclusion of the Academy, up to 60 participants will be selected for an in-person African Civic Engagement Summit in 2023 where they will meet, network, and share perspectives on approaches to improved civic engagement in their communities.