On March 21st, 2022, the Civic Hive Fellowship 2022, with the theme “The Next Civic Tech Leaders”, supported by the MacArthur Foundation, which focused on transparency, accountability, civic participation, and institutional efficiency, kicked off in Lagos. The fellowship was a 20-week Bootcamp and implementation program designed for early-stage civic innovators with tech-enabled ideas capable of solving social issues.
The Beginning
On February 1st, 2022, applications for the Civic Hive Fellowship opened. The application period ran for five weeks before it was concluded. We received roughly 600 applications from several focused areas at the end of the application period. It’s interesting to note that applications came from Israel and several African nations, including Kenya, Ghana, South Africa, Chad, and Kenya. However, because they were beyond the fellowship’s purview, applications from these nations were not taken into consideration. Other applications received were reviewed weekly on their merit, and about 45 ideas were shortlisted to be considered.
We organized a video interview to further discuss the concepts and qualifications of the shortlisted candidates. The following requirements must be met for ideas to be chosen: Ideas must be civic technology in nature; a solution to a societal issue that affects a significant number of people; priority is given to strategies that concentrate on youth and women; and lastly, ideas must be in their early-stage. The goal of this meticulous selection process was to find the top ten candidates for the program.
Although the interview process was challenging because there were so many excellent solutions, we believed they needed the programme. However, the fellowship program was designed to only accommodate ten fellows for maximum impact.
The categories, start-ups, and names of the founders are displayed in the table below.
| Founder/Cofounder | Start-up | Category |
| Gender Mobile | Omowunmi Ogunrotimi | Gender Based Violence |
| Urban Alert | Anthony Adejuwon | Accountable Governance |
| Yvote Naija | Habeeb Tajudeen | Youth and Election |
| Civily | Eme lekwa | Accountable Governance |
| Motivator’s Crib Africa | Nwokocha Chijioke | Mental Health |
| Balm Heath | Nonyelim Okolie | Mental Health |
| Policy Shapers | Ebenezar Wikina | Public Policy |
| Grassroots Advocacy Project (GRAP) | Daisi Omokungbe | Accountable Governance |
| Local Open Governance Initiative in Nigeria (login) | Kenneth Eze | Accountable Governance |
| JusticePadi | Funke Adeoye | Legal Tech |
Civic Hive Fellowship Induction
On March 21st, at the Civic Hive Hub in Yaba, Lagos, we officially welcomed the chosen candidates into the Civic Hive Fellowship. The week-long induction programme included a variety of activities.
Our fellows pitched their concepts to us for the first time at the induction ceremony in front of a panel of knowledgeable judges who offered insightful criticism on how to make their solutions more grounded in reality. Additionally, Mr Gabriel Okeowo, the country director of BudgIT Nigeria, and Mr Oluseun Onigbinde, the global director, spoke with the fellows to welcome them and provide them with insights into the nonprofit sector.
The project implementation plan template, a crucial document we designed to assist our fellows in achieving clarity on their ideas, was also presented by the global director of BudgIT. The fellows had three months to work on the plan while also taking classes that would help them learn more about the sector’s best practices.
The fellows celebrated a successful induction event with dinner at the Radisson Blu, Ikeja, which marked the end of the induction ceremony.
Civic Hive Fellowship Sessions
The fellows participated in an exceptional three-month virtual training program where they were introduced to different areas in the nonprofit space. A total of 32 seasoned faculty members led 40 sessions. Introduction to civic technology, understanding the nonprofit sector, communications and public relations, product development, fundraising and donor management, impact measurement, harnessing people power, launching and scaling civic tech products are some of the focus topics.
Oladele Olaide, Joseph Agunbiade, Obiageli Ezekwesili, Joe Abah, Toyin Akiniyi, and Aisha Yesufu are just a few of the facilitators.
The fellows were free to concentrate on their assignments and group projects on the days other than Tuesdays and Thursdays, when classes were held.
Support for Fellows
In order to assist our fellows in scaling their work, we identified areas where they needed support. We matched the fellows with experts that helped them build their solutions. The fellows also put their theoretical learnings into practice and we supported them according to their needs.
Below are some of the supports provided:
- Website Development
- Pitch Deck Development
- Idea Thinking Process
- Organization Branding
- Monthly stipend
The Civic Hive Fellowship Closing Ceremony
The closing ceremony for the Civic Hive Fellowship 2022 took place on September 8 and 9 at the Shehu Musa Yar’dua centre in Abuja. All of our fellows and invited guests attended the two-day activities, which attracted a sizeable audience. On the first day, our fellows were able to showcase their solutions once more, but this time with a presentation that was more concerned with the impact of their work. We are pleased with them for making such significant progress in a short period of time. In reality, some of the concepts presented by our fellows during induction have either evolved or have entirely transformed into new civic tech solutions. This is due to both the project implementation plan and the exposure to fresh material and information learned in class.
In order to help them ensure that their start-ups are well established, our fellows had the chance to connect with seasoned nonprofit sector players once more. A panel discussion was held on the second day, and Mr. Joseph Agunbiade joined us virtually to share some tips on hacking growth, while Mr. Joseph Amenaghawon discussed how to establish a positive organizational culture. Ms. Ijeoma Chukwuma and Ms. Chioma Agwuegbo, both spoke about creating people-centered organizations and mainstreaming gender into civic tech development, respectively, were also present. While Mr. Oluseun Onigbinde spoke about developing networks and strategies, Mr. Odey Friday, who was represented by Prince Chimaroke, explained how growth may be fostered and stakeholder engagement. The fellows were happy to receive their certificate of completion afterwards.
At a dinner held at the Transcorp Hilton in Abuja to celebrate the completion of the fellowship programme, the closing event came to a close.
What Next?
Yes! For this cohort, the fellowship has ended. Nevertheless, we provide our fellows with post-fellowship assistance, where they can continue to get support for their start-ups.
When is the Next Civic Hive Fellowship?
The Civic Hive Fellowship takes place every two years, therefore the next cohort will be sometime in 2024. Although 2024 may seem far away, many of the classes were recorded, and there are plans to make them publicly accessible. Watch out for this!
Finally, everything good must come to an end. It’s with great pleasure that the Civic Hive Fellowship 2022 cohort has come to an end. We congratulate our fellows on reaching this significant milestone and the outstanding advancement they have made within the shortest possible time. We at Civic Hive are confident that our fellows have been properly equipped with relevant ammunition to conquer. We believe in their solutions to massively impact society as change-makers.
To our donor, the MacArthur Foundation, the Civic Hive Fellowship 2022 won’t be possible without your full support. We appreciate the confidence you have placed in us to foster the growth of the next civic tech leaders.
To our fellows, Go and succeed!