Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA) promotes the ideals of an open society where functioning democracy, good governance, the rule of law, basic freedoms, and citizens' empowerment prevail. OSIWA collaborates with advocacy groups, governments, and other donors to create initiatives that enhance civil society. The initiative focuses its activities and grants on four key areas: governance; law, justice and human rights; health and development; and information and media. The initiative also develops special projects to address issues beyond its focus areas.

To promote transparency in resource management, OSIWA established the West Africa Resource Watch Institute, based in Dakar, Senegal. The institute trains civil society partners on how to monitor the revenue flows in the natural resource extraction industries and to advocate for improved transparency and accountability in the management of these revenues. OSIWA has also helped advance international efforts such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative and the Publish What You Pay campaigns.

In the area of law and justice, OSIWA focuses much of its work on criminal justice reform. It has funded organizations that promote defense for prisoners, address pretrial detention issues, and offer alternatives to incarceration. It has also been a powerful proponent of transitional justice mechanisms such as Liberia’s Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

OSIWA’s public health work focuses on increasing access to HIV treatment, raising awareness of the health rights of vulnerable groups such as migrants and sex workers, and advocating for the incorporation of human rights norms into the administration of programs and policies addressing the AIDS epidemic. In the area of media and information, OSIWA works to raise the level of professional journalism, advance media independence, promote freedom of information laws, and strengthen community radio.

The countries covered by OSIWA include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Cape Verde, Chad, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, and Togo.