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Article Type

Research Article

Subject Area

Climate Change

Abstract

Africa is responsible for a small part of the emissions of greenhouse gases around the globe; however, it is still one of the regions that are most susceptible to the impacts of climate change. Civil Society Organizations (CSO) play an important role in initiating measures that target the reduction of climate change effects in Africa. Nonetheless, existing research in this area is limited and fails to compare findings from CSO initiatives in several countries on the continent. The research presented aims to investigate the role of CSOs in climate action in Africa through a case study of the initiatives implemented by the Youth Love Egypt Foundation and compare them with the activities of similar organizations in Kenya and Morocco.

A convergent mixed-method design was applied. The first phase of the research included conducting an online survey of 200 participants in 20 African countries and collecting quantitative data that were analyzed with the help of descriptive statistics and tests of chi-square (χ2 ). The second phase consisted of collecting qualitative data through semi-structured interviews with four key informants representing diplomatic, governmental, and civil society institutions and analyzing the information collected with the help of thematic analysis.

The results indicate that civil society organizations (CSOs) contribute significantly to the advancement of climate governance by building connections between local societies and governments or international development agencies, stimulating public awareness about climate change, and facilitating people’s engagement. The analysis of surveys shows that 78.5% of interviewees are well-aware of climate change issues, with 81% trusting information coming from CSOs while about 93% are willing to participate in future climate events. Despite these positive assumptions about CSOs, interviews have revealed pertinent obstacles constraining their efficiency that include short term funding, tough regulations, lack of capacity, and weak cooperation between sectors.

Despite their crucial role towards climate change initiatives in Africa, civil society organizations (CSOs) face structural challenges that impede their operations. Fully unlocking their potential will require easy funding, good policies, and working closely with governments and foreign partners.

Keywords: Civil society organizations, Climate action, Climate governance, Community engagement

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