Created in May 2005, the West African Human Rights Defenders Network (WAHRDN) is a regional non-governmental organization based in Lomé, Togo. It brings together national coalitions of human rights defenders and focal points from 16 countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Liberia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Togo.
- 09 French-speaking countries (Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Mauritania - where Arabic is the official language, but French is a common working language, Niger, Senegal, Togo).
- 05 English-speaking countries (Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone)
- and 02 Portuguese-speaking countries (Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau)
The ROADDH has adopted a protection mission, which it has implemented to date through the following actions:
- Capacity-building for human rights defenders (HRDs) in the sub-region on the use of regional and international mechanisms for the protection of human rights and the rights of HRDs, and the protection and security of human rights defenders.
- Training and support for Women Human Rights Defenders (WHRDs) in West Africa
- Advocacy activities at national, regional and international level to help strengthen respect for the rule of law in West Africa.
The organization has observer status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) and is a member of the steering committee of the NGO Forum preceding ACHPR sessions. It is also a member of the Human Rights Council Network (HRC Net), a worldwide network of NGOs that lobbies the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC).