---
title: Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD West Africa)
type: research
status: active
country: NG
website: https://www.cddwestafrica.org
logo: /assets/org-logos/cdd-west-africa.png
contact:
  checked: 2026-07-30
  email: cddabv@cddwestafrica.org
  source: https://www.cddwestafrica.org/contact-us
summary: An Abuja-based independent research and advocacy organisation focused on
  democratic governance and human security in West Africa — founded in 1997 to support
  Nigeria's democratic transition, now a regional hub for policy analysis, electoral
  integrity, and civil society capacity-building.
concepts:
- democracy
- representative-democracy
- accountability-sink
location:
  latitude: 9.0579
  longitude: 7.4951
  name: Abuja, Nigeria
news_page: https://www.cddwestafrica.org/blog/
events:
- date: '1997-01-01'
  title: Founded in Lagos as a research and advocacy organisation on democracy and
    development in West Africa
  url: https://www.cddwestafrica.org/about-us/
  quote: The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) was established in the United
    Kingdom in 1997
  proof_level: high
  url_checked: '2026-08-10'
  notable: true
activity:
  dod:
    checked: 2026-06-29
    date: 2026-06-29
    note: Website and blog confirmed active, with current election-analysis publications
      (Ekiti State 2026 Pre-Election Environment Analysis; Anambra 2025 Governorship
      Election report).
  scrape:
    hint: no_markup
    checked: 2026-08-17
    note: News page found, no machine-readable date
  sitemap:
    checked: 2026-08-17
    date: 2026-06-05
    note: Server still up (sitemap detected)
  url: https://www.cddwestafrica.org/blog/
last_checked: '2026-06-29'
---

The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD West Africa) is an independent, non-profit research and advocacy organisation founded in 1997 (and registered in Nigeria in 1999) to support democratic governance and people-centred development across West Africa. It was established during Nigeria's transition from military to civilian rule and has since grown into a regional institution.

CDD operates offices in Abuja, Lagos, Maiduguri, and London. Its work spans policy analysis, electoral integrity, security governance, and capacity-building for civil society organisations.

## What they do

- **CDD Fact Check** — monitoring and countering political misinformation and disinformation
- Electoral integrity monitoring and training
- Policy research on democratic governance and economic governance
- Civil society capacity-building and networking
- Security governance research, including in conflict-affected states (e.g. North-East Nigeria)

## Links

- Website: [cddwestafrica.org](https://www.cddwestafrica.org)

## See also

- [Democracy](../concepts/democracy.md)
- [Representative Democracy](../concepts/representative-democracy.md)
- [Accountability Sink](../concepts/accountability-sink.md)