Campaign for Good Governance

Campaign for Good Governance
Name	Campaign for Good Governance
Formation	1996
Headquarters	Freetown, Sierra Leone
Region served	Sierra Leone
Leader title	Executive Director

Campaign for Good Governance.

The Campaign for Good Governance is a Sierra Leonean non-governmental organization founded in 1996 to promote democracy and human rights during a period marked by the Sierra Leone Civil War, national reconstruction and post-conflict reform. It emerged amid interactions among international actors such as the United Nations, regional bodies like the Economic Community of West African States, and domestic stakeholders including civil society coalitions and political parties. The organization has engaged with electoral processes, human rights monitoring, civic education and governance reform while interacting with institutions such as the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone, the Special Court for Sierra Leone, and international donors.

History

The organization was established in the context of the Sierra Leone Civil War and the 1996 elections that followed the overthrow of the National Provisional Ruling Council. Founders included activists connected to networks linked with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch, and the student movements influenced by figures from the Fourah Bay College community. Early work addressed issues raised during the Lome Peace Accord negotiations and the return to multi-party elections under scrutiny by observers from the Commonwealth of Nations and the African Union. Through the late 1990s and 2000s the group expanded activities in collaboration with organizations such as the International Foundation for Electoral Systems, the National Democratic Institute, and the International Republican Institute. In the post-conflict era the organization shifted focus as institutions including the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (Sierra Leone) and the Special Court for Sierra Leone became central to accountability, and as donor priorities from agencies like the United States Agency for International Development and the Department for International Development evolved.

Goals and Mission

The stated mission emphasizes transparency, accountability, and citizen participation within the framework of Sierra Leone’s legal instruments including the 1991 Constitution of Sierra Leone and electoral statutes administered by the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone. Goals include enhancing electoral integrity during presidential and parliamentary contests, strengthening the capacities of civil society actors intersecting with bodies such as the Sierra Leone Bar Association and the National Youth Coalition, and promoting rights enshrined under regional instruments like the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. The organization frames its objectives to complement international standards promoted by the United Nations Development Programme, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and monitoring mechanisms used by observers from the European Union.

Activities and Programs

Programs have included voter education campaigns during national elections, domestic election observation missions aligned with methodologies used by the Electoral Institute for Sustainable Democracy in Africa, legal aid clinics working alongside practitioners from the Sierra Leone Law Society, and civic engagement workshops in partnership with local chapters of the National Youth Forum. It has implemented radio outreach using stations similar to Radio Democracy Sierra Leone models, community monitoring projects in rural districts like Kono District and Port Loko District, and training for journalists drawn from outlets such as the Awareness Times, the Sierra Leone Telegraph, and the BBC World Service. Initiatives have also targeted corruption prevention in coordination with the Anti-Corruption Commission (Sierra Leone) and governance assessments referencing frameworks from the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund.

Organizational Structure and Leadership

The organization operates with a governance model incorporating a board of trustees and an executive management team, interacting regularly with advisory panels composed of experts from institutions such as Fourah Bay College, international NGOs, and former officials from the Office of the President of Sierra Leone. Leadership over time has included civil society figures who engaged with regional networks such as the West African Civil Society Forum and global actors like the Open Society Foundations. Staff structure typically spans programs, finance, monitoring and evaluation, and communications units, collaborating with legal partners including members of the Sierra Leone Bench and Bar and academic partners affiliated with the University of Sierra Leone.

Funding and Partnerships

Funding has combined support from international donors such as the European Commission, bilateral agencies including the United States Agency for International Development, and private foundations like the Ford Foundation and the Open Society Institute. Project partnerships have linked the organization with the United Nations Development Programme, regional bodies such as the Economic Community of West African States, and global NGOs including Oxfam and Transparency International. Local collaborations have included municipal councils in Freetown and civil society federations that mobilize under umbrellas like the Sierra Leone Association of Non-Governmental Organisations.

Impact and Criticism

Advocates credit the organization with contributing to improved voter turnout in contested elections, increased civic awareness in provinces such as Bo District and Kenema District, and strengthened coordination among domestic observers during polls that attracted missions from the Commonwealth Observer Group and the European Union Election Observation Mission. Critics have argued about donor dependence, questioned interventions in politically sensitive periods involving actors from the All People's Congress and the Sierra Leone People's Party, and raised concerns over resource allocation during partnerships with institutions such as the Anti-Corruption Commission (Sierra Leone). Evaluations referencing development agencies and academic studies from universities like Columbia University and King's College London have produced mixed assessments of long-term institutional change versus short-term civic mobilization.

Category:Civil society organizations based in Sierra Leone