In many countries, civil society organisations (CSOs) are under constant pressure and operating in a closing civic space. This has spurred new forms of collaborations between social activists (SAs) and social movements (SMs) that are different from traditional social justice organisations (TSJOs) in responding to the closing civic space phenomenon. This report explores how cross-sector collaboration could be used as a mechanism for countering shrinking civic space. Specifically, the paper presents empirical evidence on the experiences, enabling factors and challenges for cross-actor collaboration among traditional social justice organisations, social movements and social activists in West Africa—a context where the civic space is closing at varying degrees and levels.
