Côte d’Ivoire is affected by electoral violence and other forms of conflict, and low levels of political participation. It also has few impartial media outlets able to support social cohesion and positive political engagement. Since 2010, increased attacks on marginalized groups in the country have reflected a growth in online hate speech.
Between 2018–2021, Internews delivered Civilia, a USAID-funded program through which radio and social media content to cover, and constructively debate, issues of concern to Ivorian citizens was produced and broadcast through a national network of partners. Civilia specifically targeted youth and women in areas with heightened risks of political and inter-community violence.
This report summarises the final evaluation of this project, and aims to inform future media initiatives to promote political participation and social cohesion in Côte d’Ivoire, Western Africa, and elsewhere. It finds that Civilia’s content was highly valued, that it achieved high reach and awareness, that it managed to reflect issues and concerns of immediate relevance to people through its local partnerships and that more Ivorian media professionals are covering the topic of hate speech.