Bridges are universal. They connect places, people and times. More than just physical structures, bridges symbolise connection, transition, and progress. Civic tech plays a similar role in reshaping the relationship between people and their governments. At its core, civic tech uses digital innovation to bridge systematic gaps, and enable a participatory, transparent and accountable governance.

In Africa, digital tools are being used to monitor elections, track service delivery, and enable participatory budgeting. For Code for Africa (CfA), the continent’s largest network of civic technology and data journalism labs, digital tools are indispensable. With teams in more than 20 countries, CfA builds digital democracy solutions that give citizens access to actionable information, ranging from fact-checking tools, county-level data dashboards, to apps that visualise the gender pay gap. Read more