AIPDN and WANEP-Senegal Train Casamance Civil Society Organisations on Organisational Transformation and Effectiveness

Representatives from leading civil society organisations working across the Casamance region of Senegal completed a five-day Training on Organisational Transformation and Effectiveness, held in Dakar, Senegal, from 20 to 24 July 2026. The training was organised by the African Inter-Party Dialogue Network (AIPDN) and the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), Senegal, and brought together participants from KABONKETOOR, Action Jeunesse Environnement (AJE) and USFORAL, organisations that have long promoted peacebuilding, good governance, women's empowerment and youth development in the region.

Designed around the evolving challenges facing civil society organisations, public institutions and community-based organisations, the programme equipped participants with practical knowledge and skills to strengthen institutional governance, improve organisational effectiveness, mobilise resources, build strategic partnerships and apply digital technologies and artificial intelligence to organisational performance. It drew on more than 70 years of combined African experience in governance, peacebuilding, institutional leadership and social justice, offering tools that participants can put to use immediately within their organisations.

The training followed a participatory approach that encouraged active engagement and peer learning. Through interactive presentations, African case studies, group discussions, simulations, practical exercises and experience-sharing sessions, participants worked through transformational leadership and governance, organisational management and performance, resource mobilisation and fundraising, strategic partnership development, institutional ecosystems and organisational development, digital tools for organisational management, artificial intelligence applications, and the development of institutional action plans.

The methodology enabled participants to exchange experiences, examine common organisational challenges and identify practical solutions suited to the realities of organisations working in fragile and conflict-affected settings such as Casamance.

A central outcome of the training was the development of an organisational action plan by each participating institution. These plans set out practical roadmaps for strengthening governance systems, improving operational effectiveness, enhancing resource mobilisation and integrating digital tools into day-to-day management. Participants committed to putting the plans into effect within their organisations to improve institutional performance and increase the impact of their peacebuilding, governance, women's empowerment and youth programmes across the Casamance region.

The training reaffirmed the value of continuous organisational learning and institutional transformation in keeping civil society organisations effective, accountable and responsive to the communities they serve. By investing in stronger leadership, improved governance, strategic partnerships and innovation, organisations such as KABONKETOOR, Action Jeunesse Environnement and USFORAL are better placed to contribute to sustainable peace, inclusive governance and socio-economic development in southern Senegal. The initiative marks a further step toward building resilient organisations capable of delivering lasting impact for communities throughout Casamance.