The Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) is democracy-supporting
NGO
A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from government. They are typically nonprofit entities, and many of them are active in h ...
in
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone,)]. officially the Republic of Sierra Leone, is a country on the southwest coast of West Africa. It is bordered by Liberia to the southeast and Guinea surrounds the northern half of the nation. Covering a total area of , Sierr ...
. CGG promotes the building of democratic institutions, transparency and accountability in government, active citizen participation in the political process, voter education, human rights, and the rule of law. CGG also sponsors research projects that explore the social conditions that impact
good governance
Good governance is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for th ...
. In recent years CGG has been involved in projects in such diverse areas as gender rights, children's rights,
HIV/AIDS
Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ...
, elections, local government, and official corruption.
History
The Campaign for Good Governance was formally established in July 1996 after Sierra Leone's first multi-party democratic elections in three decades. The founders of CGG were Zainab Bangura and Julius Spencer, Sierra Leonean human rights activists, and Joseph Opala, an American historian who lived in the country for many years. During the lead-up to 1996 elections, the founders worked with other
civil society
Civil society can be understood as the "third sector" of society, distinct from government and business, and including the family and the private sphere.International Crisis Group was also instrumental in helping establish CGG.
Bangura was CGG's first Coordinator. After she left that position in 2002, several others succeeded her, including
Abdul Tejan-Cole
Abdul Tejan-Cole is a Sierra Leonean Oku people (Sierra Leone), Oku legal practitioner and former Commissioner of Sierra Leone's Anti-Corruption Commission. He was awarded the 2001 Human Rights Watch award.
Biography
Tejan-Cole holds a Bachelor ...
, Olayinka Creighton-Randall, and Valnora Edwin, CGG's current Coordinator.
Funding
CGG is funded primarily through external sources, including the
United States Agency for International Development
The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is an independent agency of the U.S. federal government that is primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid and development assistance. With a budget of over $27 b ...
, the
National Endowment for Democracy
The National Endowment for Democracy (NED) is an organization in the United States that was founded in 1983 for promoting democracy in other countries by promoting political and economic institutions such as political groups, trade unions, ...
Good governance
Good governance is the process of measuring how public institutions conduct public affairs and manage public resources and guarantee the realization of human rights in a manner essentially free of abuse and corruption and with due regard for th ...