Applications are now open for the inaugural Democracy Innovations Café 2026, a six-month, peer-driven innovation hub created to help young people develop practical ideas that can contribute to more just, inclusive and resilient democratic systems in Africa.
Reform Initiatives, in partnership with the African Union Economic, Social and Cultural Council, commonly known as AU-ECOSOCC, is inviting applications from young people based in Accra, Ghana, and Lusaka, Zambia. The programme is being implemented under the Reimagining a Just and Resilient Democracy in Africa project, with financial support from the Open Society Foundations.
The Democracy Innovations Café is designed for young democracy practitioners, civic innovators, community organisers, media practitioners, policy thinkers, human rights advocates and other young people who are developing ideas connected to democracy, governance and political education.
Applicants do not need to have a fully established organisation or a completed project. Those with an early-stage concept are welcome to apply, provided they can clearly explain the problem they want to address and the idea they would like to develop or test.
The application deadline is September 10, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. GMT. Applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis, so eligible candidates are strongly encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible.
About the Democracy Innovations Café
The Democracy Innovations Café is a six-month collaborative space where young people can develop, test, improve and strengthen ideas responding to real challenges affecting democracy and governance.
Unlike a conventional training course, the Café will not follow a fixed curriculum. Participants will spend the programme actively working on their ideas, learning from other young innovators, experimenting with different approaches, receiving constructive feedback and adapting their projects as they progress.
The programme recognises that young people are not only beneficiaries of democratic systems but can also be designers of new democratic practices, tools and community-based solutions. It therefore aims to provide participants with the physical space, resources, mentorship, professional connections and peer support required to move their ideas forward.
The inaugural programme will operate through two pilot locations:
- Accra, Ghana
- Lusaka, Zambia
Dedicated physical innovation hubs will be available in both cities.
Purpose of the Programme
Democratic systems across Africa continue to face challenges involving political participation, public accountability, civic trust, political education, human rights, access to information, youth representation and community engagement.
At the same time, young people are developing new ways of communicating, organising communities, influencing policy, educating voters and encouraging public participation. Many of these ideas, however, do not receive the space, resources, mentorship or institutional connections necessary to develop into practical initiatives.
The Democracy Innovations Café seeks to help address this gap by creating an environment where young innovators can:
- Examine a democracy or governance-related problem more closely.
- Develop an idea in response to that problem.
- Test whether the proposed approach is practical and relevant.
- Receive feedback from peers, practitioners and experts.
- Refine the idea based on evidence and experience.
- Build relationships with other young people working on similar challenges.
- Connect local or grassroots ideas with wider African democracy and governance discussions.
The objective is not simply to teach participants about democracy. Instead, the programme gives them an opportunity to actively build, test and improve ideas that may strengthen democratic participation and political education.
Ideas and Innovations That May Be Considered
The organisers are using a broad and inclusive definition of innovation. An applicant’s idea does not have to involve advanced technology, software development or specialised digital equipment.
Proposals may use civic, community-based, political, social, creative, media, policy or digital approaches. This creates room for applicants from different professional, academic and creative backgrounds.
Relevant ideas may relate to areas such as:
- Democracy and democratic participation
- Political education for young people
- Civic engagement and citizen participation
- Public accountability and transparency
- Governance and public decision-making
- Human rights awareness
- Youth participation in political processes
- Community organising and mobilisation
- Media, communication and public information
- Policy advocacy and public-sector engagement
- Digital participation and responsible civic technology
- Creative approaches to democracy education
- Grassroots solutions to local governance challenges
These examples are not an exhaustive list. Applicants may propose other ideas that clearly advance democracy or political education for young people.
An innovation may be at an early conceptual stage, under development or already being implemented. The applicant should be able to explain the problem being addressed, the proposed response and what they want to accomplish through the six-month programme.
Who Can Apply?
Applicants must satisfy the following conditions:
- Be between 18 and 30 years old.
- Be based in Accra, Ghana, or Lusaka, Zambia.
- Be actively engaged in issues relating to democracy, political education, governance, civic participation, accountability, human rights, media, community organising or a closely related area.
- Have a promising idea, project or innovation that is either at an early stage or already being implemented.
- Be willing to commit sufficient time to the full six-month programme.
- Be prepared to participate actively in peer learning, co-creation and experimentation.
- Be willing to share ideas, receive feedback and collaborate with other participants.
- Be able to participate as an individual.
Applicants do not need to represent a registered organisation. A person may apply independently, although members of youth organisations or organisations working with young people may also submit applications.
The organisers particularly welcome applications from young women and candidates from diverse professional, social and academic backgrounds.
The official call does not prescribe a university degree, a specific academic discipline or a minimum number of years of professional experience. The strength and relevance of the applicant’s idea, their involvement in the relevant field and their willingness to participate fully appear to be more important than formal qualifications.
What Will Selected Participants Receive?
Selected applicants will join a supportive environment focused on developing and testing practical democratic innovations.
Participants are expected to receive access to the following:
1. Dedicated Physical Innovation Hubs
Physical innovation spaces will be available in Accra and Lusaka. These hubs will give participants a place to work on their ideas, collaborate with others and take part in programme activities.
2. Computers and Internet Connectivity
Computers, internet access and other shared resources will be made available where needed. This is particularly important for participants who have a promising idea but may lack consistent access to digital equipment or connectivity.
3. A Collaborative Development Environment
Participants will be able to develop and test their ideas in a setting where experimentation is encouraged. The Café is intended to provide room for ideas to be questioned, improved and adapted before being implemented more widely.
4. Peer Learning and Co-Creation
Young innovators will learn from one another through peer-learning and co-creation sessions. Participants will be able to exchange knowledge, compare experiences and identify opportunities for collaboration.
5. Targeted Mentorship
Participants will receive mentorship and opportunities to engage with practitioners and experts. This support may help them think more critically about the relevance, design, feasibility and potential impact of their ideas.
6. Connections to Wider African Governance Conversations
The programme will help connect grassroots initiatives with broader discussions about democracy and governance in Africa. This may allow participants to understand how their local ideas relate to regional challenges and policy debates.
7. Support to Pilot and Refine Ideas
Promising innovations may receive support to be tested and improved. This gives participants an opportunity to identify weaknesses, collect feedback and refine their proposed solutions.
8. Access to Policy Dialogues and Convenings
Where possible, participants may attend youth policy dialogues, forums and convenings organised by AU-ECOSOCC and Reform Initiatives in Accra and Lusaka.
The official call does not promise a cash award, stipend, salary, travel allowance or direct financial grant. Applicants should therefore avoid assuming that participation includes financial assistance beyond the resources and programme support specifically mentioned in the call.
A Flexible, Participant-Led Learning Model
The Democracy Innovations Café is different from a traditional classroom-based training programme.
There is no predetermined curriculum through which every participant will follow exactly the same sequence of lessons. Instead, participants will work directly on their own ideas and learn through practice, experimentation, collaboration and feedback.
This model may be especially valuable for applicants who already understand a particular civic or governance problem but need support to turn their understanding into a workable initiative.
During the programme, participants may be expected to:
- Explain and examine the problem they want to address.
- Develop or improve their proposed solution.
- Discuss their idea with other participants.
- Test assumptions about the intended beneficiaries or users.
- Receive feedback from mentors and practitioners.
- Experiment with different implementation approaches.
- Learn from unsuccessful attempts or unexpected results.
- Refine their innovation based on lessons learned.
- Consider how the initiative could be sustained or expanded.
Applicants should therefore be comfortable working in an open and collaborative environment. They should also be willing to revise their original ideas when feedback or testing shows that a different approach may be more effective.
Application Requirements
Every application should provide the following information:
- Personal information: The applicant’s full name, age and contact details.
- Relevant background: A brief description of the applicant’s present work, experience or involvement in democracy, governance, political education or civic action.
- Description of the idea: A clear explanation of the proposed idea, project or innovation.
- Problem being addressed: An explanation of the democratic, political education, governance or civic participation challenge that the idea seeks to address.
- Development objectives: A description of what the applicant hopes to develop, test or achieve through participation in the Democracy Innovations Café.
- Motivation: An explanation of why the applicant wants to join the inaugural cohort.
- Supporting materials: Links to previous projects, articles, publications, videos, portfolios, websites, social media pages or other relevant work that may strengthen the application.
Supporting materials are optional, but relevant examples may help demonstrate the applicant’s previous engagement, creative ability or commitment to the proposed area of work.
Accepted Application Formats
Applicants are not required to submit a conventional written proposal. The organisers welcome creative applications that allow candidates to communicate their ideas effectively.
An application may be submitted as:
- A traditional written application
- A short video
- An audio recording
- A cartoon
- An illustration
- A creative artwork
- Another concise format that clearly communicates the idea
Written applications must not exceed five pages. Applications submitted in another format should also be kept concise.
The organisers state that the clarity, creativity and potential of the idea are more important than how formally the application is presented. Candidates should therefore focus on communicating a specific problem, a relevant proposed response and the value they hope to create.
How to Submit an Application
Applications must be submitted by email. Candidates should use the address corresponding to the city in which they are based.
Applicants Based in Accra, Ghana
Send the application to:
Applicants Based in Lusaka, Zambia
Send the application to:
All applicants should use the following email subject line:
Application – Democracy Innovations Café
Before sending the application, candidates should verify that they have used the correct city-specific email address and included all required personal, project and contact information.
Applicants submitting files such as videos, audio recordings or artwork should ensure that the files or links are accessible to the selection team.
Important Dates
- Applications opened: August 28, 2026
- Main application deadline: September 10, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. GMT
- Review process: Applications will be assessed on a rolling basis
The PDF contains an internal inconsistency concerning the deadline. Its formal “Key Dates” section states September 10, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. GMT, and the official Reform Initiatives webpage gives the same deadline. However, the final call-to-action inside the PDF says “Apply by 2 September 2026.”
Applicants should treat September 10, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. GMT as the formally published deadline, while recognising that submitting by September 2 would be the safest option where possible. Candidates applying after September 2 may also wish to confirm the deadline with the relevant programme email address.
Because applications are being reviewed on a rolling basis, candidates should not wait until the final day to apply.
How to Prepare a Strong Application
Applicants should ensure that their submission clearly answers four central questions:
What is the problem?
Identify a specific challenge affecting democracy, governance, political education, public accountability or civic participation. Avoid describing the problem in overly broad terms.
What is the proposed idea?
Explain how the project or innovation would respond to the identified problem. The idea does not have to be technological, but it should be understandable and practical.
Who would benefit?
Identify the young people, communities, organisations or institutions that the idea is intended to support or influence.
What will be developed or tested?
Explain what the applicant wants to accomplish during the six-month programme. This may involve testing an approach, building a prototype, improving an existing initiative, gathering feedback or developing a more effective implementation model.
Applicants should also demonstrate that they are open to collaboration and willing to improve their ideas based on feedback. The programme is designed for experimentation and co-creation, so an application should not suggest that the idea is already perfect or cannot be changed.
Why Young Democracy Innovators Should Consider Applying
The Democracy Innovations Café offers a structured but flexible environment for young people who want to move beyond discussing democratic challenges and begin testing practical responses.
Selected participants will be able to work alongside other young innovators, access shared resources, engage with mentors and connect their local experiences with wider African democracy and governance discussions.
The programme may be particularly relevant for candidates who have identified a real problem through their professional work, civic engagement, community involvement, media activities or personal experience but have not yet had the opportunity to develop and test a structured response.
It is also accessible to applicants who do not represent established organisations. This allows independent young innovators and early-stage civic actors to participate without first establishing a formal institution.
Conclusion
The Democracy Innovations Café 2026 represents an important opportunity for young people in Accra and Lusaka to develop practical, creative and community-responsive ideas for strengthening democracy and political education.
Through its six-month, peer-driven model, the programme will provide selected participants with innovation spaces, shared technology, mentorship, peer learning, opportunities for experimentation and connections to broader African governance discussions.
Applicants may submit either an early-stage idea or an innovation that is already being implemented. Proposals may use civic, community-based, social, political, media, creative, policy or digital approaches, and individual applicants do not need to represent an organisation.
Interested candidates should carefully prepare a clear and concise submission and send it to the appropriate city-specific email address. The formally published deadline is September 10, 2026, at 11:59 p.m. GMT, although early submission is strongly recommended because applications are reviewed on a rolling basis and the PDF contains a conflicting reference to September 2.
Applicants should review the official call for applications and the official programme announcement before submitting.
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