Namibia: Civil Society Anti-Corruption Watchdog Project

Under this Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) assistance award solicitation, the Embassy will provide a one-time grant to a local nongovernmental or civil society organization to design and implement a program that helps Namibia combat corruption. Corruption is increasingly becoming an obstacle to the accountable, responsive, and transparent functioning of Namibia’s democracy. Through this grant, the U.S. Embassy in Windhoek aims to assist Namibia in combatting corruption by empowering civil society in its watchdog function to increase accountability and attention on corruption. Pursuant to this NOFO, the U.S. Embassy will support an anti-corruption project designed and implemented by a local civil society organization. The anti-corruption project should be multi-year and aim to bring together civil society, members of the media, the general public, the private sector, and the government to take concrete actions against corruption. The project should have nation-wide components and ideally will partner with regionally based civil society organizations to assist with roll-out. This NOFO is purposely non-prescriptive as our intention is to allow flexibility to animate locally grown anti-corruption ideas. Project Objectives: (1) Namibian civil societies actively engaged on fighting corruption and enhances its ability to serve as a watchdog; and (2) Civil society helps increase public and government attention to fighting corruption, leading to increased investigation and prosecution of corruption cases and full implementation and enforcement of anti-corruption legislation, such as the Whistleblower Protection Act, the Access to Information Act, and the Powers and y Privileges of Parliament Act; and (3) The grantee promotes public anti-corruption education and helps animate anti-corruption champions within Namibia. This program is part of the U.S. State Department’s Africa Regional Democracy Fund (ARDF) intended to support programming that strengthens democratic institutions in sub-Saharan Africa. Specific ARDF objectives are to promote accountable, transparent, and responsive governance; promote human rights and fundamental freedoms; and support democratic processes and promotion of strong democratic norms. Direct funding for individuals, public international organizations, foreign governments, parastatal organizations, educational institutions, or U.S. Government departments and agencies is not available under this announcement.