On June 19, 2025, David Prince, Program Coordinator, represented the Centre for Human Rights, Health, Ethnic Harmony and Livelihood Development (CHHELD) at the 2025 South-South Regional Conference on Improving the Operational Environment for CSO Operations in Nigeria, held in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
The conference, organized by Global Rights Nigeria and the Community of Practice on Civic Space Strengthening, with support from the European Union Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, brought together over 200 stakeholders from the six South-South states and Abuja. Themed “Scaling Policy to Action – Strengthening the Regulatory Environment for Sustainable CSO Operations at the Subnational Level,” this second edition of the regional conference built on momentum from the maiden edition held in Calabar in June, 2024. The gathering convened representatives of civil society organizations, development partners, lawmakers, and regulatory agencies.
The welcome and opening reflection, delivered by Ken Henshaw, Co-chair, Community of Practice on Civic Space Strengthening, highlighted troubling statistics from past administrations in Nigeria, such as the killing of 69 peaceful protesters and over 250 arbitrary arrests of activists and journalists has called for need for continuous collaboration between and government and civil actors. While acknowledging some progress made in the last two years through persistent advocacy and EU-supported stakeholder engagement, he emphasized the urgency of advancing reforms and policies to safeguard civic space. He pointed out that the work done by Civic Society Organizations is not one which is done in isolation from the government or against the government, but should be a collaborative effort of all stakeholders, as we are all citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria striving to see the nation move forward. So, it is important that government and CSOs come together and have a transparent, inclusive and sustainable regulatory environment.
Welcome address by the Executive Director, Global Rights, Mrs Abiodun Baiyewu and Goodwill messages from the Head of Operations, European Union delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Massimo De Luca; Country Lead, West African Civil Society Institute (WACSI), Omolara Balogun; Representative of Federal House of Representative committee on civil society and development partners, Hon. Victor Obuzor, and the Honorable Commissioner for Women Affairs, Akwa Ibom State, Dr. Mrs. Ini Adiakpan all commended the initiative as timely and reiterated their commitment to supporting an enabling environment for civic actors in Nigeria.
The keynote address by Rt. Hon. Kufre-Abasi Edidem, the Deputy Speaker of the Akwa-Ibom State House of Assembly titled “From Policy to Action: Strengthening the Regulatory Framework for CSOs through Legislative and Regulatory Action” recognized the indispensable role of CSOs in Nigeria’s democratic history from driving key legal reforms like the Freedom of Information Act to shaping public discourse and policy implementation. The Deputy Speaker called for targeted legislative reforms and state–federal collaboration to streamline CSO regulations and promote inclusivity. He also called for strengthening of CSO operations in Nigeria which is considered a strengthening of Nigeria’s democracy.
One of the conference’s major highlights was the presentation of the 2024 CSO State Ranking Dashboard by Global Rights. The dashboard, available at https://cso.globalrights.org/ tracks how conducive state environments are for CSO operations using parameters such as legal recognition, funding accessibility, operational autonomy, and ease of registration. The data revealed that northern states ranked higher due to the predominance of humanitarian NGOs, while many southern states, including Lagos faced increased scrutiny and restrictive policies, especially for governance and accountability-focused organizations. The presenters stressed that the focus should be on improving overall scores and policy outcomes rather than competing for rankings. Rivers State is ranked fourth on the CSO state Ranking Dashboard.
The first panel discussion with the topic, Strengthening the Enabling Environment for NPOs in Nigeria, With panelists; Dr. Benson Olugbuo, Lead partner, Olugbuo & Partners, Dr. Mrs. Ini Adiakpan, Hon Commissioner for Women Affairs, Akwa Ibom State, and Confidence Obayuwana, INGO Forum. The panel dialogue was Moderator by Tijah Bolton-Akpan, Executive Director, Policy Alert. The panel dialogue explored the legal, policy, and practical realities of CSO regulation in Nigeria. Speakers flagged challenges such as multiple and inconsistent registration requirements, overregulation, low compliance incentives, and the diversion of resources from program delivery to bureaucratic processes such as multiple registrations. Confidence Obayuwana described how restrictive visa regulations, such as a 30-day stay limit for international support staff are impacting emergency responses to natural disaster and disease outbreaks like cholera and malnutrition. Panelists called for the harmonization of regulatory procedures, responsive policy-making, and recognition of CSOs as development partners, not entities to be policed.
Another presentation led by Mr. Edosa Oviawe, Program Manager, Global Rights unveiled a Model Harmonization Guideline, providing a framework to unify regulatory standards and reduce administrative burdens on CSOs. It offered a roadmap to foster collaboration between Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) and civil society actors while promoting accountability.
The second panel session focused on Sustaining Impact amid Scarcity: Innovative Strategies for Navigating Shrinking Funding for CSOs in Nigeria, with the following panelists: Omolara Balogun, Country Lead, WACSI Node Nigeria / Head, Policy Influencing & Advocacy, WACSI; Ken Henshaw, Executive Director, We The People; Idem Udoekong, Manager, IIDEA Bridge and moderated by Wynyfred Achu-Egbuson, Programme Manager, CSO & Youths, EUDEL. The dialogue emphasized the need to build a culture of local philanthropy, shift towards social enterprise models, and invest in community co-creation of sustainable projects. Ken Henshaw warned against over-dependence on foreign aid and advocated for grassroots-rooted solutions that align with the values of the communities served, adopt local crowd funding means and take advantage of company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) to carry out projects in respective communities. The need for regulatory reforms that enable nonprofits to explore income-generating ventures without compromising their mandates was strongly emphasized. Omolara Balogun emphasized on the need for operation capacity development of CSOs to lead impactful projects and activities. CSOs can leverage on training and resources offered by various organizations such as the EU and WACSI (www.wacsi.org). She encouraged CSOs to have alternative models of resource mobilization leveraging on technology, storytelling and local fundraising. She also called for reduced spending and waste by CSOs even as foreign aid is shrinking and CSOs across thematic lines should collaborate in proposal writing and project implementation, and reduce duplication of efforts. Panelists also acknowledged rising political tensions ahead of the 2027 general elections and urged CSOs to begin civic education early and position themselves as defenders of democratic values.
The final panel with the topic “From Policy to Practice: Strengthening the Legal Framework for Civil Society through Legislative and Regulatory Action” with Panelists; Hon Victor Obuzor – Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Civil Society and Development Matters; Hon. Barr Sunday Umeha – House of Representatives Committee on Disability, Hon. Dr. Nsidibe Akata, Chairman House Committee on Economic Development, Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly James Ibor, Basic Rights Counsel Initiative with reps from regulatory institutions like CAC, SCUML, and FIRS. The panel dialogue was led by Barr. Hauwa Kaka Usman, General Counsel, ACCI. The dialogue tackled issues such as corruption in the civic space, regulatory overlap, delays in business name approvals, the cost of compliance, and limited access to financial services by grassroots groups. Lawmakers pledged to take forward recommendations into national legislative reforms, while regulators shared ongoing efforts to automate systems, provide self-regulation guidance, and improve transparency. Inclusion, especially of persons with disabilities, was highlighted as a critical concern, with calls for both government and CSOs to lead by example in complying with existing disability laws and inclusion benchmarks.
The closing remarks was led by Mr. Chima Jeff Megwei, Executive Director of Community & Youth Enhancement Initiative. He appreciated all delegated represented in the conference, both in-person and virtually. He urged delegates to continue to work collaboratively to strengthen Nigeria’s civic space and regulatory ecosystem.
The South-South Regional Conference on Improving the Operational Environment for CSO Operations in Nigeria served not just as a forum for discussion, but as a platform to align civil society, government, and development partners towards coherent, sustainable reform for a more inclusive and enabling environment for CSOs across Nigeria.
