Seven civil society organizations from seven Central African countries, including Chad, Gabon, the Central African Republic, Burundi, Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of Congo, and the Republic of Congo, launched the Network of Civil Society Organizations for the Consolidation of Democracy in Central Africa (ROCiDAC) on September 24, 2026, in Accra, Ghana. The launch took place on the sidelines of the third edition of the Integrity Summit.
ROCiDAC aims to bring together civil society actors working on democracy, electoral transparency, and citizen participation in the region. The network was established at a time when governance, citizen participation, and civic space are under pressure in several Central African countries. The founding organizations have experience in election observation, human rights defense, or democratic governance.
The founding members of ROCiDAC include the Citizen Observation Mission for Transparent Elections (MOCET) in Gabon, the Observatory of Associations on the Electoral Process in Chad (OAPET), Actions for Development and Empowerment (ADE) in Cameroon, the Legal Assistance Program for Equality in Law (PAJED) in the Republic of Congo, the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace in the Democratic Republic of Congo (CEJP RDC), the Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace in Burundi (CEJP Burundi), and the Arc-en-Ciel Network (RAC) in the Central African Republic.
ROCiDAC was born out of the AHEAD Africa project, which sought to identify, connect, and strengthen local actors of democratic accountability, including in difficult political contexts. The idea emerged during the second edition of the Integrity Summit in Lusaka, Zambia, in 2025 and was realized a year later in Accra. The network aims to make these organizations more visible and connect them, allowing them to share experiences, methods, and practices.
ROCiDAC plans to connect Central Africa to the pan-African electoral observation movement, joining the African Election Observation Network (AfEONet). This dynamic will facilitate exchanges with other regional networks, including the Eastern and Horn of Africa Electoral Observers Network (E-HORN), the West African Electoral Observers Network (WAEON), and the Electoral Support Network of Southern Africa (ESN-SA).
The network plans to engage in regular dialogue with actors involved in electoral and democratic processes in Central Africa, including the CEEAC, the ROGEAC, national electoral commissions, NGOs, international organizations, media, and other civil society components. ROCiDAC also intends to participate in learning missions with other regional platforms, gathering different actors to formulate recommendations in favor of electoral integrity.
The launch of ROCiDAC in Accra marks a new stage in cooperation between civil society organizations in Central Africa. By pooling their experiences and capacities, the seven founding organizations aim to create a regional space more favorable to collaboration, sharing, and citizen participation.
Key points
- ROCiDAC aims to promote democratic integrity, transparency, and citizen participation in Central Africa.
- The network was established by seven civil society organizations from Central African countries.
- ROCiDAC plans to connect with the pan-African electoral observation movement.
