EPIC-Africa is delighted to announce the longlist of 62 organizations and individuals advancing to Phase Two of the African CSO Awards 2026 – a pan-African initiative celebrating the strength and diversity of community-led development across the continent.
This year’s Awards received an extraordinary response from civil society organizations and individuals across Africa. In total, we received over 1,000 submissions from 48 African countries, reflecting the depth of commitment, innovation, and leadership that exists within African communities every day.
More than a competition, the Awards have become a powerful storytelling moment for African civil society.
We have been deeply moved by the generosity, honesty, and care with which entrants shared their journeys, challenges, lessons, and impact. Across every category, we encountered stories of communities organizing, adapting, rebuilding, advocating, mentoring, feeding, protecting, educating, and creating solutions rooted in local realities.
Discovering new voices across the continent
One of the most encouraging outcomes of this year’s Awards has been the opportunity to discover CSOs that were previously outside EPIC-Africa’s network.
Over 80% of the organizations that entered were new to EPIC-Africa, helping us discover often unseen but vital community-led organizations across the continent, including in under-represented regions such as Francophone West Africa.
This matters deeply.
Too often, impactful local organizations remain invisible beyond their immediate communities, despite playing essential roles in social cohesion, civic participation, livelihoods, health, education, and resilience. The Awards are designed not only to celebrate them, but also to help strengthen their visibility and connection to a wider ecosystem of peers, partners, and supporters.
Celebrating the full ecosystem of community-led development
The African CSO Awards 2026 recognise the different actors needed for community-led development to thrive.
This year’s categories include:
- Doers — organizations directly co-creating and delivering solutions with communities
- Supporters — organizations strengthening the capacity and resilience of frontline actors
- Enablers — institutions shaping the broader ecosystem for civil society and community-led development
- Emerging Leaders — innovators under 35 driving new civic leadership and ideas
- Lifetime Achievers — individuals whose long-term commitment has transformed communities and movements over decades
The Awards also revealed a strong culture of peer recognition and solidarity across African civil society.
We received almost 100 nominations across our two individual categories, demonstrating how motivated people are to speak up for those who inspire them. We thank every nominator who took the time to champion a leader they believe deserves recognition, and we celebrate all nominees whose work continues to shape communities, organizations, and movements across Africa.
Rose Maruru, Executive Director of EPIC-Africa, reflected:
| “The quality and diversity of submissions have been truly inspiring. What stood out most was the deep connection organizations have with the communities they serve, and the creativity and persistence they demonstrate every day, often with very limited visibility or support. We are grateful to every CSO and nominator who took the time to share their story with us. These stories remind us that community-led development is not an abstract idea — it is lived, built, and sustained by people across Africa every single day.” |
What happens in Phase Two
Phase Two is now underway and is designed to deepen the Awards process through additional storytelling, evidence-sharing, and review.
Shortlisted organizations and individuals have been invited to provide:
- Further information on their work and impact
- Supporting evidence and testimonials
- References from communities, partners, donors, or collaborators
The final stage of the Awards process will involve review by an independent African jury drawn from civil society, philanthropy, research, and social impact leadership across the continent.
A continent-wide response
The organizations and individuals advancing to Phase Two reflect the geographic diversity and richness of African civil society, with community-led organisations represented across multiple regions of the continent.
The snapshot below illustrates the regional spread of organizations advancing across the different Awards categories:
| Catégorie | Countries Represented |
|---|---|
| Doers – Central Africa | Cameroon, Democratic Republic of the Congo |
| Doers – East Africa | Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda |
| Doers – North Africa | Morocco, Tunisia |
| Doers – Southern Africa | Mozambique, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe |
| Doers – West Africa | Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Nigeria |
| Supporters | Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, South Africa |
| Enablers | Kenya, Mauritius, Nigeria, South Africa |
Full details of finalists and winners, including individuals, will be shared at the conclusion of the African CSO Awards 2026.
Beyond the Awards: building community and visibility
At EPIC-Africa, we believe recognition should not end with an awards process.
Every entrant in the African CSO Awards 2026 is invited into the wider African CSO Platform — a growing space for visibility, peer connection, learning, and opportunity-sharing.
By sharing their stories, entrants are helping build a richer, more connected picture of African civil society: one that reflects the realities, leadership, and solutions already emerging from communities themselves.
