Despite their centrality in societies where civic space and freedom ofexpression are increasingly narrowing, the few civil organisations andindependent media groups in sub-Saharan Africa work in silos, where theireffort and energy are not harnessed to focus on pressing issues, and theyoften find themselves duplicating efforts and resources. They are thereforeunable to address critical issues of human rights abuses, or contributeto guarding and expanding the freedom of expression necessary fordemocracy and social progress. Further, most of these organisations lackthe capacity, skills and knowledge to focus on their agenda, becausethey have no space or forum to interact with similar organisations in theregion and beyond who would inspire them to persevere. They lack spaceand a forum to exchange the knowledge and information necessary totackle human rights issues and media development.

Often, media and civil organisations do not collaborate and leverage their strengths. Some media and CSOs are informal, and lack the structure and framework to engage with state bureaucracy and other forces. Formalising their existence through an acceptable framework and empowering them to engage would contribute to amplifying the voices of civil society and the networks in the region and beyond. One of the critical challenges for such coalitions is finding financial resources to support their operation and engagements. It is easierto mobilise resources where coalitions are well organised, priorities have been set and leadership has been formally determined. The more civic freedoms and human rights are annihilated, the more democracy cedes the higher ground, the more and the stronger are the forces of coalition required to defend these spaces.

This study focuses on Mapping out coalitions, collaborations, partnerships and networks for media and civil society in sub-Saharan Africa. All of these could be short-, medium- or long- term, or even consist of just a few days’ engagement for a specific course. This study aims to engender a deeper understanding of the architecture, relevance and needs of media organisations and CSOs, their institutional capacity and their level of influence, and their powers and limitations. The study covers independent media, civil society organisations and other actors involved in civic freedoms and media development, operating at both country and regional level, and taking into account the specific nuances of each context. The study focuses on 17 sub-Saharan African countries identified by Civicus Monitor1 as ‘obstructed´.