Pathways to progress: what CSO Week 2025 taught us about the future

Every year, CSO Week gives us the chance to pause, reflect, and ask ourselves: How are we doing? Are we still walking with the people? Are we showing up in the right rooms, with the right questions?

This year, under the theme Pathways to progress, CSO Week 2025 couldn’t have come at a better time. With local government elections around the corner and Vision 2050 taking shape, the conversations felt more urgent, more honest, and more hopeful. Justice Rutenge, executive director of the Foundation for Civil Society, summed it up perfectly when he said we’re moving from a place of polycrisis to polytunity, seeing the possibilities even in the hardest of times.

At Twaweza, we went in with curiosity and a readiness to listen. One of our most energising sessions invited participants to imagine the year 2050 not just through a policy lens, but as people living in that future. Through the Polak Game, facilitated by Entesh Melaisho and Dr. Baruani Mshale, we explored three versions of the future: the optimistic, the pessimistic, and the somewhere-in-between. It was powerful to see people leaning into their hopes and fears, and walking away reminded that the future is shaped by what we choose today.

Another standout session focused on citizen participation ahead of the 2024 local elections. Moderated by Richard Temu, Senior Program Officer at Twaweza and joined by James Kimambo from TAMISEMI, the discussion centred on real, tangible ways citizens can influence local decisions from participatory planning to simply being informed. There was a strong sense that elections are not just moments, but opportunities to reset the relationship between citizens and government.

We also hosted a high-level dialogue on the role of civil society in Vision 2050, moderated by Annastazia Rugaba, Director of Advocacy and Engagement at Twaweza. It wasn’t a talk shop. It was an open, thoughtful exchange about how to build trust, strengthen CSO capacity, and co-create a future where everyone has a voice and a seat at the table.

Outside the formal sessions, we participated in an outreach event organised by BBC Media Action to share the findings from our Sauti za Wananchi initiative. Through data, we demonstrated how citizens are participating in their communities and identified areas where gaps still exist. It was a reminder that stories and numbers need each other, and that evidence, when shared well, can spark action.

Not everything went according to plan. A mix-up with local authorities resulted in us missing an outreach visit to Longido. We had hoped to hear directly from communities navigating climate change, land pressures, and shifting livelihoods. That visit is still on our radar because those voices matter deeply to the story we’re trying to tell.

As we look back on CSO Week 2025, one thing is clear: we’re not alone. The questions we’re asking, about democracy, participation, and equity, are being asked everywhere. And though the answers aren’t always simple, what matters is that we keep showing up. Listening. Learning. And walking forward, together.

Because progress isn’t a straight line, it’s a path we make by walking.