The Civil Society Innovation Fund Ethiopia Second Phase Officially Launched.
On the 11th of April 2025, the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) and its partners officially launched the second phase of the Civil Society Innovation Fund (CSIF) in Ethiopia.
Building on the success of its predecessor programme, CSIF II is aimed to support and empower civil society organisations (CSOs) in Ethiopia by implementing innovative, community-led initiatives. These initiatives are developed to promote and strengthen civic engagement, uphold human rights, and democratic governance, fostering inclusive development and trust while enhancing dialogue with government institutions – all with the goal to positively shape Ethiopia’s future. By providing both financial and technical support, the fund seeks to enhance the operational and financial sustainability of the CSOs it is supporting, enabling them to address pressing social challenges and contribute to sustainable positive change.
This initiative highlights the growing recognition of civil society’s vital role in shaping Ethiopia’s future. It highlights the importance of fostering a pluralistic, innovative civil society sector that champions democracy, amplifies diverse voices, and safeguards rights.
The launch event was honoured by the presence of H.E. Alexis Lamek, the French Ambassador to Ethiopia, Mr. Daniel Bekele, former Chief Commissioner of the Ethiopian Human Rights Commission (EHRC) and special advisor for this programme, Mr. Louis-Antoine Souchet, AFD Ethiopia’s Country Director, Guilhem Arnal, AFD’s Task Team Leader, and Kidist Abebe, AFD’s Programme Manager, as well as representatives of the respective CSOs that partake in the programme. Participants expressed their appreciation and aspirations for CSIF II.
““We hope this CSIF2 will be even more impactful than CSIF1, that it will foster strong collaboration among the members of the consortia, and better trust and constructive dialogue with government institutions,” ”
““We are honored to be part of CSIF II- a timely and strategic initiative supporting impactful civil society action in Ethiopia. The Civil Society Resource Center is deeply grateful to Agence Française de Développement and the French taxpayers for the continued and generous support. We look forward to working alongside our fellow consortia partners to ensure CSIF II delivers tangible results.” ”
CSIF II will last for three years and will be implemented by consortium partners led by, three existing consortia that were part of CISF I - Center for Advancement of Rights and Democracy (CARD), Civil Society Resource Center (CSRC) and Lawyers for Human Rights (LHR) and three newly formed consortiums led by MERSA Media Institute (MMI), Coalition of Ethiopian Civil Society Organizations for Elections (CECOE), and Eurika Yebego Adragot Driget (EURIKA). The CSIF II will supports 23 new and emerging CSOs, including the six lead consortium partners.
The fund will be steered by Ethiopian based AGAR Consulting, and UK based Mannion Daniels and France based Altai Consulting, with some transitional support from INTRAC in the UK, who were involved with implementation of CSIF I.
We thank our partners from CSIF I who will continue their journey under CSIF II and we welcome the new participating CSOs, also thank AFD for the unwavering support to strengthen and enhance the Ethiopian CSOs which reaffirms France’s commitment to supporting Ethiopia’s civic space.
Photo by: 1 Henok Sisay and 2 Dawit Dagnew