National Initiative for Civic Education

Why It Was Started

The starting point for establishing NICE was a general understanding – confirmed by findings from scientific reports – that the 1999 general elections would face considerable challenges because democratic values, principles and processes were not sufficiently entrenched in Malawian society.

It was therefore recommended to establish a project to deliver civic education (CE) on a permanent basis. This permanent character was particularly stressed because the perceptions of most Malawians concerning leadership are culturally based, hence requiring a longer term intervention to instil levels of knowledge, attitude and behaviour required for a proper functioning of a democratic system of government.

Stages in the project’s development

At its outset in February 1999 NICE worked in close partnership with the Public Affairs Committee (PAC) as PAC brought the necessary country-wide outreach structures required by a project like NICE.

At the same time, the operational aspects of the project were managed under the guidance of the German Technical Cooperation (GTZ) and its Malawi-German Programme for Democracy and Decentralisation (MGPDD).

In August 2003 NICE and PAC signed a memorandum of understanding in which both parties decided to cordially separate and focus in future on their own respective core issues. The trigger for such a move by NICE was its resolve to uphold its strict neutrality and non-partisanship in all matters of day-to-day politics in a political environment in Malawi that was at that time considerably charged.

This move was therefore crucial to again assert NICE’s credibility as a non-partisan civic educator. NICE subsequently embarked on a strategy to create a robust physical outreach structure throughout the entire country.

In July 2005 the GTZ management contract came to an end. As a consequence NICE was thereafter operating solely under a Malawian leadership. This stage was characterised by NICE strengthening its ties with numerous civil society and other partner organisations. This led to NICE today enjoying exceptionally high levels of legitimacy and representivity throughout the country.

Today the project is in its third financing phase by the European Development Fund (EDF). This phase will run up to mid-2009.