Like the proverbial wind during the storm, broke its branches, bent its willows and still survived, this sums up the organization’s reality in 2025: a remarkable year characterised by courage and resourcefulness.
2025 was the year of institutional strengthening and resilience, testing our capacity to adapt, bend, and endure challenges without breaking. The year began with the United States’ January 2025 executive order that imposed significant cuts to foreign aid, sending earthquaking ripples in the non-profit sector. As with numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) across the world, the funding freeze affected two of our projects, prompting sudden stoppages and significant changes to scheduled programs and activities. That’s where resilience comes in, as we not only weathered the storm, but also continued to deliver on our mission of defending the civic space and centring human rights in public policy and governance processes.
Under our four thematic areas—civic space protection, climate and extractive justice, housing rights and urban governance, and gender inclusion—we continued to push for the integration of human rights-centred policies in extractive, urban and security governance sectors, while protecting the rights of marginalized groups and communities. For instance, Nigeria’s extractive sector is undergoing a profound structural shift. Long dependent on oil and gas, the sector is now being reshaped by three converging forces: accelerated divestments by international oil companies; a global transition towards low-carbon energy systems; and a rapidly growing demand for critical minerals essential to clean energy technologies. These shifts are unfolding in real time on contested lands, in polluted waters, and within communities that have historically borne the costs of extraction while receiving little of its benefits. As conversations around gas expansion, net-zero commitments, and energy transition intensify, emerging concerns focus on how the energy transition will occur, who will shape it, and who will bear the consequences. Trends are revealing a risk of reproducing longstanding governance failures across new extractive frontiers unless these issues are deliberately confronted.
In 2025, we intensified research advocacy and campaigns against an ill-prepared transition to a low-carbon future as well as against regulatoryrestrictions imposed on civil society framed around either national security protection or combating money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism (AML/CFT) measures. We deployed a variety of strategies, including research and knowledge-building, community empowerment, legal and policy advocacy, pro bono litigation, and technical assistance to private corporations and government agencies. The result? We published seven (7) research reports and policy briefs on topical issues revolving around our thematic focal areas; organized 46 trainings, workshops, and conferences that reached over 600 organizations across Africa, and took part in 29 international advocacy engagements across 25 countries.
We leveraged research evidence and access to institutions to deliver policy advisory and technical support to governments across the region to effectively implement counterterrorism responses in line with the risk-based approach. Particularly through our evidence-based policy engagements and community action, we developed and addressed gaps in sub-national climate change policies, forged strong partnerships with the private sector, strengthened the financial inclusion of non-profit organizations (NPOs) and enhanced the organizational development capacities of civil society organizations across West Africa.
As you shall see below, these efforts contributed significantly towards effective subnational climate governance while improving the operating environment for civil society in West Africa.
