Building the AUCTF Capacity-Building Program: A Collaborative Journey

In our previous blog, we introduced Ushahidi’s role as an implementation partner in the African Union Civic Tech Fund (AUCTF) 2.0, a program dedicated to supporting and scaling impactful civic tech innovations across Africa. We shared how the AUCTF aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and Ushahidi’s mission to empower communities through technology. This blog takes a deeper dive into our core responsibility: developing a comprehensive capacity-building program tailored to the unique needs of the grantees.

In developing the African Union Civic Tech Fund 2.0 (AUCTF) capacity-building program, Ushahidi took a collaborative and iterative data-driven approach to ensure that the curriculum met the grantees' precise needs while aligning with the program’s broader goals.

We began with a detailed needs assessment comprising questions designed to capture the grantees' organizational and technical gaps, strengths, and aspirations. The feedback illuminated critical areas such as:

• Technical skill gaps: Many grantees needed training in data management, strategic partnerships, and advocacy.
• Resource mobilization: A recurring challenge was sustainable funding and financial planning.
• Policy alignment: Grantees expressed interest in better integrating their projects with local, regional, and continental policies.

Through this process, it became evident that a blend of foundational modules and supplementary sessions would be most effective in addressing the grantees' diverse needs.

 

Analyzing the Results: The Core and the Icing

The analysis revealed two core components of the program:

1. The "Cake" – Key Modules: These represent the essential topics most critical to grantees' success, such as strategic leadership, sustainability, and data handling. These areas form the foundation for organizational growth and effective project delivery. They include:

• Introduction to the AU, Agenda 2063, and Strategic Policy Development and Advocacy: Understanding the African Union’s structure, initiatives, and how grantee projects align with broader policy frameworks.
• Sustainability and Funding: ** ** Strategies for long-term financial sustainability and diversifying funding sources.
• Strategic Partnership Building and Stakeholder Engagement: ** ** Building collaborative relationships and leveraging networks to scale impact.
• Data Handling and Privacy: ** ** Data management, security, and compliance with ethical standards.
• Human-Centered Design (HCD): ** ** Tools and methodologies for user-focused project design, prototyping, and iteration.

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2. The "Icing" – Masterclasses: These shorter, targeted sessions focus on refining grantee skills and addressing emerging trends, such as leveraging AI and enhancing community engagement. These include:

• Effective Communications and Pitching: ** ** Crafting impactful narratives to engage stakeholders and potential funders.
• Project Planning and Management: ** ** Best practices for implementing civic tech initiatives efficiently.
• Leveraging AI in Civic Tech: Exploring the potential and limitations of Artificial Intelligence in Civic Tech.
• Community Engagement: ** ** Insights from grantees with strong community connections on fostering participation and trust.
• Data Analysis and Insight Generation Using the Ushahidi Platform: ** ** Turning collected data into actionable insights for governance and advocacy.

 

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The analogy of the cake highlights that while the core modules provide substantive learning, the masterclasses add complementary, nuanced skills to ensure well-rounded capacity building.

 

3. Additional Sessions: Brown Bag Sessions and In-Person Events

To foster peer-to-peer learning, brown bag sessions allow grantees to showcase their expertise. These informal, interactive sessions encourage mutual growth and skill-sharing among participants. These include:

• Animation in Civic Tech: How to use animation for storytelling and advocacy.
• Public Relations Strategies: Building and maintaining a positive public image for civic tech initiatives.
• Leveraging Commercial Alternatives for Civic Tech Innovations: Exploring how to use commercially available tools to enhance civic tech projects.
• AI Chatbot Development for Civic Engagement: Creating chatbots to increase citizen participation and access to information.

The in-person events serve as platforms for deeper collaboration and networking. By bringing grantees together, these sessions strengthen connections, build trust, and promote cross-pollination of ideas, ensuring a more cohesive civic tech ecosystem. One such event was the Civic Tech Innovation Forum (CTIF), where grantees participated in various sessions, contributing their expertise and showcasing their innovations to a broader audience of civic tech leaders and stakeholders.

 

Collaborative Validation and Iterative Design

A key step in the program’s development was validating the proposed curriculum with grantees and the program team. This step ensured that the training addressed real-world challenges and incorporated practical solutions aligned with grantee goals. Feedback loops were crucial to refining the program and ensuring its relevance.

Bridging to Broader Ecosystems

Lastly, Ushahidi’s collaboration with the Civic Tech Innovation Network (CTIN) introduces an important dimension: creating opportunities for grantees to showcase their work to potential funders and partners. This emphasis on ecosystem building ensures that the program not only enhances grantee capacity but also connects them with resources for long-term sustainability.

 

The AUCTF capacity-building program is more than just a curriculum; it’s a comprehensive strategy for empowering civic tech innovators across Africa. As we continue to roll out the training modules, masterclasses, and peer sessions, we look forward to seeing grantees thrive and drive systemic change at all levels of governance.

In our next post, we’ll showcase highlights from the sessions held so far, introduce the facilitators, and share key learning materials. Staying true to our open ethos, we aim to make these resources accessible to benefit other civic tech organizations across the ecosystem.