Through support from the National Endowment for Democracy, Friends of Angola has been conducting a transformative exchange program with Cabo Verde since 2022. Each year, we select 10 promising youth activists from Angola for an immersive experience in one of Africa’s most successful democracies. This unique program provides participants with direct exposure to Cabo Verde’s exemplary municipal governance systems, local election procedures, and multiparty electoral contestation. Participants witness firsthand how local officials engage with citizens, how different political parties compete fairly for power, and how transparent governance operates at the municipal level. Cabo Verde’s success as a democratic model in Africa is particularly evident in its mastery of local governance and multiparty democracy. During their stay, our participants engage with a diverse range of democratic practitioners, from members of parliament and opposition party leaders to local NGO directors and think tank researchers. These interactions provide valuable insights into how multiple political parties can constructively compete while maintaining democratic stability.
This program fills a crucial gap in Angola’s democratic development. As the only initiative of its kind, it offers Angolan youth unprecedented exposure to different political cultures and systems. Participants gain practical insights into effective democratic processes, experience with competitive multiparty politics, and direct exposure to transparent governance. Through these experiences, they build valuable networks with democratic practitioners and develop concrete tools for implementing democratic practices in their own communities. By empowering the next generation of democratic leaders with real-world examples of successful governance and political pluralism, this exchange program is helping to shape Angola’s democratic future.
