Each of the countries of the Liptako-Gourma region, a vast area in the center of the Sahel encompassing Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger, contend with distinctive security threats, but their shared borders and culture create unique opportunities for collaboration. On September 20 in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, NDI and the Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Foundation (KAS) jointly organized a three-day capacity building workshop on the role of traditional and religious leaders in promoting peace, a culture of dialogue, and the exchange of best practices in the Liptako-Gourma region.

Efforts by anti-democratic foreign governments to influence another country’s political landscape are on the rise globally. Through illiberal influence operations or covert actions these governments seek to manipulate political sentiment or public discourse in another country.

Young people in countries throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) find themselves grappling with similar challenges as they push their governments to be more responsive to the needs of citizens. While the COVID-19 pandemic prevents travel across the MENA region, the National Democratic Institute (NDI or the Institute) hosted and broadcasted a virtual tournament in August 2021 that brought together youth from different countries to debate data-driven solutions to transnational public policy problems.

During the 22-year rule of former Gambian President Yaya Jammeh, dubious voter registration processes contributed to election outcomes that lacked credibility. Now, with the first presidential elections under President Adama Barrow taking place in December 2021, an accurate voter register will be critical in ensuring credible and representative polls. 

Supporting Global Lessons for Effective Executive Transitions

NDI Publishes Global Guide on Smooth Transitions Across Political Contexts

Early in the morning on August 16, the Electoral Commission of Zambia announced that long-time opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema of the United Party for National Development (UPND) had won the 2021 presidential elections with 59.4 percent of the vote.

The growth of internet users has brought about social and economic benefits on a global scale. However, significant harms such as online violence, disinformation and hate speech have also proliferated in these online spaces. Discriminatory gendered practices are shaped by social, economic, cultural and political structures and are similarly reproduced online across digital platforms. In Uganda, there has been rising rates of online harassment targeting both high profile women as well as everyday users. 

In Algeria and across the world, social media’s role in disseminating information of public concern has been growing. However, with the rapid diffusion of fact-based information comes the spread of disinformation. This has been especially relevant during the COVID-19 pandemic as people have been searching for information on the virus through traditional and online media platforms. While some Algerians have started to receive vaccines to achieve immunity against the coronavirus, disinformation remains without an antidote.