The Centre for Democracy and Development is a non-governmental organisation which aims to promote the values of democracy

Democracy

Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...

, peace

Peace

Peace is a state of harmony characterized by the lack of violent conflict. Commonly understood as the absence of hostility, peace also suggests the existence of healthy or newly healed interpersonal or international relationships, prosperity in matters of social or economic welfare, the...

 and human rights

Human rights

Human rights are "commonly understood as inalienable fundamental rights to which a person is inherently entitled simply because she or he is a human being." Human rights are thus conceived as universal and egalitarian . These rights may exist as natural rights or as legal rights, in both national...

 in Africa

Africa

Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...

, particularly in the West Africa

West Africa

West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent. Geopolitically, the UN definition of Western Africa includes the following 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square km:-Flags of West Africa:...

n sub-region.

History

The CDD was founded in 1997 in London at a time when Nigeria was under military rule. Its first activity was to organize a round table discussion on the democratic future of Nigeria.
One of the founding members was Biko Agozino, a Nigerian criminologist known for his books exploring impact of colonization on the way in which racial and ethnic minorities are treated by justice systems worldwide.
The Center has become a resource for policy-oriented scholarship on subjects such as introducing and improving democratic processes, improving economic governance, safety and development throughout Africa.

Agenda

The CDD website says the organization wishes to "serve as the ultimate catalyst in the transformation of the West African sub-continent into an integrated, economically vibrant and democratically governed community that assures holistic security to the population and is capable of permanent peaceful conflict management". The CDD mission is described as "To be the prime catalyst and facilitator for strategic analysis and capacity building for sustainable democracy and development in West Africa."

Activities

CDD has offices in Lagos

Lagos

Lagos is a port and the most populous conurbation in Nigeria. With a population of 7,937,932, it is currently the third most populous city in Africa after Cairo and Kinshasa, and currently estimated to be the second fastest growing city in Africa...

 and Abuja

Abuja

Abuja is the capital city of Nigeria. It is located in the centre of Nigeria, within the Federal Capital Territory . Abuja is a planned city, and was built mainly in the 1980s. It officially became Nigeria's capital on 12 December 1991, replacing Lagos...

, Nigeria, and an international office in London.
The center conducts research on democratization and good governance, and also trains groups and individuals who are promoting democracy and development in the region.
In collaboration with the Kituo Cha Katiba (East African Centre for Constitutional Development) the CDD has run a capacity building project funded by the Ford Foundation

Ford Foundation

The Ford Foundation is a private foundation incorporated in Michigan and based in New York City created to fund programs that were chartered in 1936 by Edsel Ford and Henry Ford....

.
The project sponsors East African Women Lawyers for Graduate Masters Programs, particularly those who want to use the law as an instrument of social change.