RFLD — The integrated continental architecture for African feminist work
NGOsource 501(c)(3) Equivalent ACHPR Observer · N°553 Co-Chair · GIZ/BMZ SEA-T Council
RFLD · Since 2013

Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement

The Network · 2026

A pan-African feminist network for a continent.

RFLD combines legislative advocacy, community organising, re-granting, and open-data tools to advance women's rights, SRHR, civic space, and climate justice across Africa.

670
member organisations across 35+ African countries
How RFLD Works
RFLD continental programme delivery
US Tax Status
NGOsource 501(c)(3) ED
AU Recognition
ACHPR Observer · N°553
Co-Chair · 2026
GIZ/BMZ SEA-T Council
§ How RFLD works

RFLD operates across four integrated functions — re-granting, advocacy, research, and programme delivery — in a closed cycle where each function reinforces the next.

01

Data

The DONUESE Data Center tracks women's leadership across 37 African countries — verified, citable, downloadable under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Evidence-led
02

Policy

Maputo Protocol Hub, ACDEG Hub, AU Mechanisms, West Africa Legislative Platform — converting evidence into legislation.

Continental advocacy
03

Resourcing

WAFFF Fund and the Africa Grant Portfolio move resources directly to community-rooted organisations, with rapid-response grants for defenders at risk.

Participatory grant-making
04

Community Delivery

PAWELE, BRAVE, Climate Justice, Health, Ending FGM — five flagship programmes delivered through 670 member organisations.

Frontline impact
Why it matters

"Data becomes evidence. Evidence becomes advocacy. Advocacy becomes legislation. Legislation becomes community reality. Resources flow at every stage — and member organisations report back into the data."

The closed loop

RFLD's contribution to the African feminist ecosystem is its integrated architecture — combining four functions inside one institutional structure so that data, advocacy, resources and community delivery reinforce one another.

The integration is the asset — we work alongside continental peers, each adding distinct strengths to the movement.

§ What we do

Six fields of intervention. One integrated mandate.

Our work organises across six substantive fields of community-rooted delivery — anchored in the African normative frameworks (the African Charter, the Maputo Protocol, ACDEG, the AU Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality, Agenda 2063) and aligned to the 2030 Agenda, the Paris Agreement and the Addis Ababa Action Agenda.

i.
SRHR · DSSR

Reproductive Justice

Community mobilisation and continental advocacy for sexual and reproductive health and rights through the BRAVE Programme. Maternal health, contraception, safe abortion services, and comprehensive sexuality education — anchored in Maputo Protocol Articles 8, 9, 12 and 14 on gender equality, bodily autonomy and the empowerment of women and girls.

RFLD vehicle: BRAVE Programme · Maputo Protocol Hub · Maternal Health Data
BRAVE Programme →
ii.
Civic Space · Human Rights

Civic Space, Defenders & Migration

Women Human Rights Defenders protection, civic space monitoring, and continental advocacy through the ACHPR Working Group on Human Rights Defenders. Strengthened democracy, human rights, rule of law and reduced corruption. Safe migration, refugee and IDP protection — with particular attention to women, children and ethnic minorities. Implementation of the African Charter, the Maputo Protocol and the ACDEG.

RFLD vehicle: WHRDs Report · ACHPR engagement · Defender Security Toolkit · African Digital Safety Compendium
WHRDs Report →
iii.
Climate · Economic Justice

Climate & Economic Justice

Climate adaptation, biodiversity protection and sustainable resource use — improved resilience to climate change and environmental disasters; access to renewable energy and improved energy efficiency. Gender-responsive budgeting, women's land rights and the care economy. Open, inclusive and sustainable trade, regional and continental economic integration, food security.

RFLD vehicle: Climate Justice Programme · Climate Action Platform · Gender-Responsive Budgeting · Land Rights advocacy
Climate Action →
iv.
Governance · Youth

Participatory Governance

Women's political leadership via the PAWELE Programme. ACDEG implementation and legislative tracking across West Africa. Increased gender equality and women's full participation in decision-making — political influence and economic empowerment. Young people's meaningful participation in political decision-making, in society, and in continental advocacy — Africa is the youngest continent, more than 60 per cent under 25.

RFLD vehicle: PAWELE · ACDEG Hub · West Africa Legislative Platform · AU Mechanisms Demystified · Continental Advisory Committee
PAWELE →
v.
Peace & Security

Peace, Security & Resilience

Women's inclusion in peace processes, regional dialogue, and conflict prevention across ECOWAS and Sahel contexts. Strengthened regional initiatives and capacity for sustainable peace — early warning systems, mediation, peacebuilding and resilience. Support for the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA) and the AU Continental Results Framework on Women, Peace and Security. Focus on the regions of greatest vulnerability.

RFLD vehicle: APSA engagement · ECOWAS coordination · WPS Continental Framework · Sahel regional dialogue
Programmes →
vi.
Harmful Practices

Ending FGM & Child Marriage

Community-led abandonment of female genital mutilation and child marriage. Survivor-centred advocacy and intergenerational mentorship. Maputo Protocol Article 5 implementation. Cross-border community engagement where practice and migration overlap. Centred on the dignity and bodily integrity of African girls and the meaningful participation of young women in shaping the work that affects their lives.

RFLD vehicle: Ending FGM & Child Marriage Programme · Maputo Protocol Hub Article 5 tracking · Community mobilisation
Listen →
Why this matters

"African civil society contributes to sustainable development through the 2030 Agenda, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement. RFLD's continental architecture is built to deliver across all these frames simultaneously."

WAFFF Fund · Re-granting

Resourcing grassroots feminist organisations across francophone West Africa

Proven capacity to move resources to grassroots defenders across francophone West Africa — with the four-window structure expanding in 2026.

§ The context we work in

The continent is moving fast.

Africa's demographic, climatic and political conditions are reshaping the operating environment for women's rights every year. RFLD's work is designed to meet that movement.

Women and girls

Particularly affected by GBV, child marriage, limited schooling

Women and girls are particularly affected by increased prevalence of gender-based violence, limited schooling, and child marriage. Access to needs-based health and medical care is lacking in several countries. RFLD's BRAVE Programme, our Ending FGM and Child Marriage work, and our Maternal Health Data infrastructure exist to confront these realities at continental scale.

A young continent

More than 60% under the age of 25

Africa has a young population — more than 60 per cent under the age of 25 — and many young people lack job opportunities and possibilities to participate on equal terms in political decision-making. RFLD's PAWELE Programme builds the political-leadership pipeline. Our methodology workshops and Continental Advisory Committee guarantee intergenerational presence in our governance.

Migration and forced displacement

Increasing across the continent

Migration and forced displacement continue to increase in Africa — driven by conflict, rapid population growth, labour market imbalances, environmental and climate factors, and economic crises. Migration contributes positively to development through remittances, knowledge exchange and diaspora engagement; meanwhile irregular migration and forced displacement leave migrants, refugees and internally displaced persons especially vulnerable. Women, children and ethnic minorities face the greatest exposure. RFLD's Defender Security Toolkit and rapid-response support address these realities directly.

§ African normative frameworks

Implementation and compliance with the African human rights system.

Our continental advocacy is built on the African instruments that codify women's, civic-space and governance rights. We are not importing frameworks — we are implementing those that African states have already adopted.

2003

Maputo Protocol

The Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa — RFLD tracks ratification, domestication and Article-by-Article implementation through the Maputo Protocol Hub.

Maputo Protocol Hub →
1981

African Charter

The African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights — including Articles 9, 10, 13 on civic-space freedoms and Article 62 on state reporting. RFLD engages under ACHPR Observer Status N°553.

AU Mechanisms →
2007

ACDEG

The African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance — RFLD's ACDEG Hub is the leading civil-society monitoring platform on this Charter's implementation across the continent.

ACDEG Hub →
2015

Agenda 2063

The Africa We Want — particularly Aspiration 6 on people-driven development relying on the potential of African people, especially women and youth.

Continental framework
2004

SDGEA

The AU Solemn Declaration on Gender Equality in Africa — a commitment by African Heads of State to gender equality across continental policy. RFLD is a civil-society partner on its follow-up.

AU continental commitment
2018

WPS Continental Framework

The AU Continental Results Framework on Women, Peace and Security — RFLD's peace and security work is structured against its indicators and reporting cycle.

Peace & Security anchor
§ African Peace & Security Architecture

Supporting APSA and the regional actors who deliver it.

RFLD supports regional actors, structures and initiatives to prevent, manage and resolve conflicts in an inclusive manner — early warning systems, preventive activities, democratic governance, mediation, peacebuilding and resilience.

Our focus is on regions where vulnerability and tensions are greatest — including the Sahel, the Lake Chad basin and the Liptako-Gourma cross-border zone. Women's active participation in conflict resolution, peace processes and strengthened resilience to conflict are promoted, as is young people's meaningful participation for sustainable and inclusive peace.

Our work supports the institutional framework of the African Peace and Security Architecture (APSA), and the actors and processes that complement APSA — including regional and local cross-border cooperation, and the AU Continental Results Framework on Women, Peace and Security.

RFLD engagement with APSA
  • AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) — civil-society submissions on WPS agenda and African civic-space contestation
  • ECOWAS Centre for Gender and Development — regional WPS coordination across West Africa
  • Sahel regional dialogue — cross-border women's peacebuilding in Liptako-Gourma
  • Early warning & civic-space monitoring — through the DONUESE Data Center across 37+ countries
  • Women mediators — capacity strengthening through PAWELE for women's inclusion in peace processes
  • Youth participation — intergenerational mentorship for young African peacebuilders
Operational anchor

AU Continental Results Framework on WPS

RFLD's peace and security work is structured against the AU Continental Results Framework for Monitoring and Reporting on the Implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Africa.

§ The 2030 Agenda

Aligned to thirteen Sustainable Development Goals.

RFLD's continental architecture contributes directly to the 2030 Agenda, the financing-for-development commitments under the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, and the Paris Agreement.

01
No Poverty
02
Zero Hunger
05
Gender Equality
07
Clean Energy
08
Decent Work
10
Reduced Inequalities
11
Sustainable Cities
12
Responsible Consumption
13
Climate Action
14
Life Below Water
15
Life on Land
16
Peace & Justice
17
Partnerships

Our work contributes to particularly relevant SDGs — 1, 2, 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16 and 17 — and to the financing-for-development commitments under the Addis Ababa Action Agenda and the Paris Agreement.

§ Open infrastructure

Continental tools — public infrastructure for African civil society.

Bilingual. Verified. Downloadable under Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0. Built once for the continent.

Digital Safety

African Digital Safety Compendium

Continental reference on digital violence against women and civil society — protocols and protection frameworks.
Women's Rights

Maputo Protocol Hub

Tracking ratification, domestication, and implementation across the African Charter on the Rights of Women framework.
Governance

ACDEG Hub

Leading civil society hub for monitoring and advocacy on the African Charter on Democracy, Elections and Governance.
Pan-African

AU Mechanisms Demystified

Accessible bilingual guides for African civil society on navigating the AU's policy and oversight mechanisms.
Legislation

West Africa Legislative Platform

A consolidated public database tracking women's rights legislation across the ECOWAS region.
Francophone

Francophone Human Rights MOOC

Online human rights learning hub for francophone African civil society.
§ Who we serve

Five distinct constituencies. One integrated network.

i.
Member Organisations

Grassroots feminist groups

670 women-led, community-rooted organisations across 35+ African countries who receive sub-grants, capacity-building, continental advocacy infrastructure, and peer connection.

Member directory →
ii.
Defenders at Risk

Women Human Rights Defenders

Rapid-response grants, legal accompaniment, secure communications via RFLD-Connect, and continental advocacy through the ACHPR Working Group on Human Rights Defenders.

Defender protection →
iii.
Institutional Donors

Foundations · Bilaterals · DAFs

An investment-grade, compliant gateway into African feminist work — NGOsource 501(c)(3) Equivalent, audited finances, and demonstrated capacity to move resources to grassroots organisations.

Partner with RFLD →
iv.
Continental Bodies

AU · ACHPR · ECOWAS · RECs

Civil society engagement, evidence submissions, oral statements under ACHPR Observer Status, and policy briefs across the Maputo Protocol, ACDEG, and AU GEWE frameworks.

AU engagement →
v.
Knowledge Community

Researchers · Journalists

Verified, citable continental data through the DONUESE Data Center. Press-ready statistics, traceable sources, and bilingual publications under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Data Center →
vi.
Diaspora & Allies

African Diaspora · Individual Donors

Tax-deductible giving for US donors via NGOsource Equivalency Determination. Donor-Advised Fund eligible at Fidelity, Schwab, Vanguard, NPT, CAF America.

Give through your DAF →
Connect with RFLD

Ready to invest in gender justice across Africa?

Reach our leadership directly — for partnership inquiries, due diligence requests, defender protection support, or to schedule a briefing.

rflgd.org
Africa Director

Mrs Dossi Sekonnou Gloria AGUEH

agueh.dossi@rflgd.org
Regional Development

Mr John GBENAGNON

gbenagnon.john@rflgd.org

RFLD · Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement · Since 2013 · rflgd.org