Closing Reflections from the AUCTF 2.0 Capacity Building Journey

 

As we close the curtain on the AUCTF 2.0 Capacity Building journey, we take a moment to celebrate the remarkable facilitators who brought their expertise, heart, and vision to the sessions that followed the mid-program recap. Each one helped sharpen grantees' thinking about civic technology—not just as tools but as frameworks for justice, inclusion, and transformation.

Missed our first post? Read the Part 1 recap here to meet the other brilliant facilitators who kicked off the AUCTF 2.0 Capacity Building journey.

Let’s meet the other powerhouse facilitators who guided the program to its final sprint.

Key Modules – The “Core” of the Program

Provided in-depth, comprehensive training on 5 fundamental aspects drawn from the needs assessment, focused on building core competencies that are essential for the overall success of grantee projects and organizational growth. Recognizing the importance of sustainability planning, we introduced a sixth follow-up session on Sustainability and Funding to help grantees craft strong, actionable plans.

 

1. Strategic Partnership Building and Networking (January 2025)

• Understanding and Leveraging Partnerships: Grantees explored the critical role of strategic partnerships in expanding the reach, impact, and sustainability of civic tech projects, with a focus on engaging diverse stakeholders—government, NGOs, private sector, and academia.
• Practical Networking and Engagement Skills: The session equipped grantees with practical techniques for identifying, approaching, and maintaining meaningful relationships with partners, as well as strategies for effective stakeholder communication and collaboration.
• Partnership Management Foundations: Grantees learned best practices for managing partnerships, including how to set clear expectations, define roles and responsibilities, and foster productive, long-term collaboration.

 

Facilitator: Ogieomo Yvonne Eweka, Project Manager - GoVote, CcHub

 

 

Yvonne is a development professional, community organiser, and adept social innovator with over 14 years of experience. She is passionate about development for social change and solving Africa's most pressing problems. She has developed competence and expertise in leading successful initiatives in the nonprofit sector, Media, and Human Resources Management. Yvonne currently works in the Technology and Society Practice at Co-creation Hub as Project Manager -GoVote civic tech initiative that explores the intersection between technology and society and promotes youth participation in governance.

🔗 Facilitator presentation

 

2. Data Handling, Security, and Privacy (March 2025)

• Data Management & Compliance Foundations: Grantees learned core principles of data collection, storage, and analysis and became familiar with relevant data privacy laws and regulations that impact civic tech work.
• Data Security Best Practices: The session covered common data threats and provided practical tools and strategies for safeguarding sensitive information, including hands-on training in privacy-protection technologies.
• Organizational Policy & Real-World Application: Grantees explored how to develop and implement robust internal data policies, supported by case studies showcasing best practices from successful civic tech projects.

 

Facilitator: Diana Waithanji, Cybersecurity engineer, SAP SE

 

Diana believes that data privacy is a human right. She has several years of experience working in Europe and Africa. Her work spans a diverse range of entities, including global corporations, SMEs, and non-profits, where she has been instrumental in shaping robust cybersecurity and data privacy strategies. Currently, Diana works with SAP SE in Germany. She is a board member at Nivishe Foundation and sits on two technical committees at the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), namely, the Software and Systems Engineering Committee and the IT Security Committee.

🔗 Facilitator presentation

 

3. Human-Centered Design (HCD) and Advanced User Research (April 2025)

• User-Centered Research & Testing: Grantees were introduced to HCD principles, with a strong focus on user research methodologies like A/B testing, surveys, and usability assessments. They gained practical skills in designing and facilitating user testing sessions and interpreting feedback to inform design decisions.
• Prototyping & Iteration: Grantees received hands-on training in both low- and high-fidelity prototyping, learning how to rapidly develop, test, and refine civic tech solutions through iterative design.
• Real-World Applications: Through case studies and best practices, grantees saw how HCD has been successfully applied in civic tech contexts, empowering them to apply these approaches to improve usability, relevance, and adoption of their own tools.

 

Facilitator: Tosh Juma

 

Tosh Juma is a strategic design leader and systems thinker with over 15 years of experience working across Africa. He specializes in turning user insights and lived experiences into impactful strategies that drive social change. His work has supported youth networks in reproductive health, civic tech platforms, and entrepreneurship ecosystems. Tosh is skilled in blending cultural understanding, facilitation, and experimentation to shape individual behaviours and broader systems. He has co-designed early childhood care toolkits in East Africa and alternative education models for street families in West Africa. Currently, he is advising on a national strategy to expand youth-led distribution networks in Kenya. Tosh brings a strong commitment to centering local knowledge, especially youth voices, in all his work.

 

4. Sustainability and Funding II

The GSMA team was back for a second follow-up session where:

• Sustainability Foundations: Grantees explored core principles and best practices for ensuring long-term sustainability in civic tech initiatives, with emphasis on integrating these into project planning and implementation.
• Diverse Funding Strategies: The session covered various income streams—grants, donations, partnerships, and earned revenue—empowering grantees to pursue tailored funding models suited to their missions.
• Financial Resilience & Donor Engagement: Grantees learned to craft strong funding proposals, communicate effectively with donors, and build financially resilient projects through strategic planning and ongoing relationship management.

 

Facilitators: William Kihara, Senior Manager for the GSMA Innovation Fund and Gregory Omondi, Senior Manager for the GSMA Innovation Fund.

 

🔗 Facilitator presentation

Masterclasses – “The Refining Touch”

Provided targeted insights and practical tips that address specific topics or emerging trends relevant to the grantees not covered in the key modules.

 

1. Strategic Leadership for Civic Tech in Africa (May 2025)

• Understanding Leadership in Civic Tech: Grantees explored how civic technology drives social, economic, and political development in Africa, and learned to define effective leadership within this unique, evolving ecosystem.
• Strategic Planning and Decision-Making: The session provided tools for crafting clear visions and missions aligned with developmental goals, alongside frameworks for strategic problem-solving and adaptive decision-making.
• Team Building and Organizational Impact: Grantees gained skills to build, lead, and sustain high-performing teams, equipping them to foster innovation and long-term impact in civic tech initiatives.

 

Facilitator: Neema Iyer

 

Neema is a technologist and artist. She is the founder and the former executive director of Pollicy, a civic technology organization based in Kampala, Uganda. Pollicy focuses on the intersection of data design and technology, and has received grant funding from Facebook and Mozilla. In 2021, Iyer was appointed to the Global Women's Safety Advisory Board at Facebook and was a 2021-2022 Digital Civil Society Lab fellow in the Stanford PACS program of the Stanford Center on Philanthropy and Civil Society.

🔗 Facilitator presentation

 

Brown Bag Lunches by Grantees

Brown Bag Lunches were informal, interactive sessions hosted by grantees to showcase their strengths and share insights with their peers. These sessions provided a platform for grantees to present their successful strategies, innovative approaches, and key learnings in a relaxed setting, encouraging open dialogue and collaboration. This was to foster a supportive community where knowledge is exchanged and mutual growth is encouraged. Each session highlighted practical experiences and effective practices, creating valuable opportunities for networking and learning among grantee organizations.

 

1. Community Engagement (February 2025)

Provided insights and practical strategies for effective community engagement, showcasing best practices from grantees who excel in this area, enabling other grantees to enhance their own community engagement efforts.

Facilitators: Edith Augustine, Project Lead - The Teacher Bank Project, The Restored Heart Foundation and Ivan Pinno, Team Leader & Founder - Digital Woman Uganda

 

🔗 Facilitator presentation

 

2. Leveraging Commercial Alternatives (February 2025)

To explore how integrating commercial aspects can enhance civic tech projects, grantees shared their experiences with adopting and adapting commercial solutions to meet civic needs, offering insights into the benefits and challenges of these approaches. Further, grantees learned how to incorporate commercial technologies effectively to drive innovation and improve outcomes in their initiatives.

Facilitators: Thivhilaeli Madamalala, Senior Sales Manager, Pulego Technologies and Richard Muraya, Founder, The Demoraphy Project

 

🔗 Facilitator presentation

 

3. AI Chatbot for Civic Engagement (March 2025)

Explored how AI chatbots can transform community interaction and service delivery. Grantees presented their experiences developing and deploying chatbots to engage with citizens, address common challenges, and enhance user experience. This session provided valuable insights into harnessing AI to facilitate meaningful civic engagement and streamlining communication processes.

Facilitators: Louis Muhindo, Co-founder, CodeVision Ltd and Jon Reinagel Founder, EquipMozambique

 

🔗 Facilitator presentation here and here

 

4. Animation for Engagement and Public Relations (April 2025)

Explored how animation can be a powerful tool in enhancing public outreach and communication. Grantees learned about the innovative use of animation to captivate and inform audiences, and discover how visual storytelling can make complex information more accessible and engaging.

 

Facilitator: Alpha Mamoudou DIALLO, Founder, ONG Ouvrir Les Horizons

 

🔗 Facilitator presentation

With the AUCTF 2.0 Capacity Building journey now concluded, one thing is clear: the future of civic tech in Africa is in powerful hands. These sessions moved beyond instruction — they cultivated connection, creativity, and collective drive. A rallying point for vision, for voice, for vibrant civic tech ecosystems. To every facilitator and grantee, thank you for shaping a space that centers African solutions, grounded in lived realities and ambitious for change. We can’t wait to see how you carry these insights forward.