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a cause of political instability and social calamity. It can indeed be arguedthat since then the case for democracy, freedom of association,the rule of law and economic justice has no longer been in question.Today, it is widely acknowledged that despite some understandablebumps along the way, most African countries continue to makesteady progress with increasing political accountability of the leadership,decentralisation of decision-making processes and greaterinvolvement of citizens in the development process. Despite the visibleprogress that has been made, there remains a lot to be done.For instance, we should acknowledge that some African countriesare yet to embark on this path, due in many instances to continuedconflict and political instability. At the same time, countries thathave committed themselves to enthroning democracy and respectfor human rights continue to need support in order to broaden anddeepen their governance agenda.It is now generally accepted that developing an active, informed andviable civil society has a vital role to play in building enduring democracies,underpinned by good governance practices. A well-developedcivil society widens the democratic space and facilitates opportunitiesfor citizens’ participation in political and social life by giving voiceto their aspirations and concerns. Beyond this however, civil societyorganizations (CSOs) have a crucial role to play in service provision aswell as the monitoring of impact of public action, especially wherecapacity is weak and resources are scarce.African civil society organizations have played a critical role in promotingdemocracy and popular participation at country level andhave also contributed to the regional consensus that good governanceand sound economic management are key to improving Africa’slong-term development. I should stress however that their role goesway beyond advocacy and includes partnership in making, implementingand monitoring policy outcomes either working together asCSOs or in tandem with governments and intergovernmental bodies.CSOs also have an increasingly important role in service delivery,especially in the social sector, where government resources and capacitiesare stretched to the utmost.282 Part Five