NDI and the Mano River Union Secretariat are working with a group of 32 young women political activists from Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone to chart a course towards a new politics -- a politics in which women have a strong voice. The Network of Emerging Women in Politics (NEW Politics) program is designed to help women develop confidence, networks, and other skills needed to more fully engage in the political arena and achieve greater representation.

In Libya, NDI's new youth debates program, called "Voice of Change" demonstrates the important work that can be done despite the ongoing conflict in the country. Debates are often one of the first real opportunities that young people have to engage in the basic tenets of democracy. The skills that students develop in preparing arguments on policy topics, in presenting those arguments and in being judges in their effectiveness last a lifetime. Through each debate, more people are introduced to democratic ideas and the pros and cons of political party and government policies.

In the Assembly of Kosovo, drama and debate are never in short supply. It remains the focus of journalists’ attention year-round. As social media use becomes more widespread, the public is increasingly accustomed to receiving live updates from the floor of the assembly, where a scandalous statement can go viral in minutes.

NDI’s Political Party Strengthening Institute (PPSI) was established in 2014 to bring together senior party leaders from across Southern Africa to foster greater inclusiveness, peer-to-peer learning and collaboration with the goal of enhancing engagement between political parties and constituents. Since its inception, NDI has successfully organized five institutes over its five year period with participation from the top-three vote earning political parties in Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia.