Dear Partner,
RFLD builds the data infrastructure that powers African feminism—connecting 450+ organizations across 55 countries with the legislative tracking, digital safety monitoring, and emergency protection systems they need to defend women’s rights and win policy reforms. We’re African-led, evidence-driven, and trusted by partners such as Sida, GIZ, BMZ, Packard Foundation, Foundation for A Just Society, AmplifyChange, AWDF, World Bank, Hivos, CIVICUS, etc. RFLD turns grassroots advocacy into measurable, lasting change.
While most organizations collect statistics, RFLD builds intelligence infrastructure. Our Data Center isn’t just a website—it’s the central nervous system for gender equality across 55 African countries. We translate raw data into the legislative weapons, policy reforms, and emergency protocols that 450+ partner organizations use daily to protect defenders and change laws.
RFLD is convening the first-ever regional summit where data meets movement-building. The West Africa Feminist Data Summit will bring together 200+ activists, researchers, policymakers, and technologists from across the ECOWAS region to explore how data infrastructure can accelerate gender justice.
Over three days, participants will engage in hands-on workshops on legislative tracking, digital safety monitoring, budget analysis, and evidence-based advocacy. Featured sessions include: “From Statistics to Strategy: Using RFLD’s Data Center for Policy Wins,” “Closing the Francophone Funding Gap: Data-Driven Donor Engagement,” and “Building Your Own Gender Data Dashboard.”
Attendees will have exclusive access to RFLD’s data tools, learn from successful advocacy campaigns that used data to defeat harmful legislation, and network with feminist organizations leading data innovation across 15 West African countries.
Early registration opens March 15, 2026. Priority will be given to grassroots organizations, women’s rights defenders, and Francophone applicants.
Travel grants available for participants from rural areas and conflict-affected regions.
Join us in Accra to transform how the feminist movement uses data as a tool for liberation.
🎤 Call for Sessions: Propose workshops or panel discussions by March 30, 2026
Why Attend?
✅ Hands-on training with RFLD’s Legislative Platform, Digital Safety Compendium, and Budget Tracker
✅ Network with 200+ feminist leaders from 15 ECOWAS countries
✅ Learn advocacy strategies
✅ Access travel grants for grassroots organizations
✅ Simultaneous interpretation (English/French) throughout the Summit
✅ Certificate of completion recognized by donors for capacity-building requirements
Who Should Attend?
- Feminist activists & women’s rights defenders
- Policy researchers & advocacy professionals
- Data journalists & media practitioners
- Tech professionals building civic tech tools
- Parliamentarians & government gender focal points
- Donor representatives seeking evidence-based grantees
- Academic researchers studying African feminism
Summit Outcomes:
By the end of the Summit, participants will:
- Master data tools for legislative tracking, budget monitoring, and digital safety
- Build advocacy campaigns grounded in evidence and regional best practices
- Join the West Africa Feminist Data Collective with ongoing peer support
- Connect with potential funders (donor roundtable on Day 3)
- Co-create a regional data agenda identifying gaps and collaborative opportunities
📧 Questions? Write to Programs@rflgd.org | #FemDataSummit2026
📊 SECTION 1: THE RFLD DATA CENTER
The Central Hub for African Gender Justice
The RFLD Data Center is where statistics become strategy. We aggregate real-time data from 55 countries, cross-reference it with international frameworks (Maputo Protocol, CEDAW, Agenda 2063 etc.), and deliver actionable insights to lawmakers, activists, and donors.
What’s Inside:
✅ 55-country gender equality scorecards (legislation, violence rates, economic justice)
✅ Parliamentary tracking dashboards (who voted for/against women’s rights bills)
✅ Comparative legal analysis (how does your country stack up?)
✅ Real-time alerts (new bills introduced, implementation failures, funding gaps)
📍 Explore the Data Center → rflgd.org/rfld-countries-data-center
“RFLD’s data turned our advocacy from reactive to surgical. We knew exactly which MPs to lobby, which clauses to amend, and which donors to approach.”
— Partner organization, Senegal
⚖️ SECTION 2: WEST AFRICA LEGISLATIVE PLATFORM
Track Every Parliamentary Vote. Influence Every Bill.
The West Africa Legislative Platform is the premier tool for monitoring parliamentary action across the ECOWAS region. Activists, journalists, and lawyers use it to:
Core Features:
🗳️ Track Parliamentary Votes – Real-time updates on who voted for/against gender equality bills
📄 Analyze Draft Bills – Full-text analysis of pending legislation, clause-by-clause breakdowns
📊 Monitor Implementation – Does a law exist on paper only, or is it enforced? We track budget allocations and enforcement data
📍 Access the Platform → rflgd.org/west-africa-legislative-platform
📚 SECTION 3: LEGISLATION DATABASE
Compare. Analyze. Advocate.
Our Legislation in West Africa database is a searchable, multilingual repository of laws, bills, and policies affecting women’s rights. Compare national laws against international standards and identify reform opportunities.
Search By:
Country (15 ECOWAS states)
Issue area (SGBV, inheritance, political participation, SRHR)
Legal status (enacted, pending, rejected)
Compliance score (Maputo Protocol alignment)
💡 Pro Tip:
Use the “Gap Analysis” tool to generate donor-ready policy briefs showing where your country lags behind regional standards.
📍 Search the Database → rflgd.org/legislation-in-west-africa
“Knowledge of the law is the first step toward changing it.” — RFLD Advocacy Principle
🛡️ SECTION 4: DIGITAL SAFETY COMPENDIUM
The First Continental System to Monitor Online Violence Against Women
Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) is the fastest-growing threat to African women’s rights defenders. Our Digital Safety Compendium is the only pan-African platform tracking incidents in real time.
What We Monitor:
55 countries (every African nation)
24/7 incident reporting (hotline + web portal + WhatsApp)
Platform accountability (Meta, TikTok, X response times to abuse reports)
Safety toolkits (VPNs, encrypted messaging, digital security training)
2025 Key Findings:
83% of African WHRDs face online gender-based attacks
76% of reported incidents involve doxxing (publishing private addresses/phone numbers)
91% report that attacks extend to their families (children’s schools targeted, etc.)
📍 View the Compendium → rflgd.org/the-african-digital-safety-compendium
🏥 SECTION 5: MATERNAL HEALTH DATA HUB
Because Budget Transparency Saves Lives
Our Maternal Health Data Hub provides real-time statistics on maternal mortality, obstetric care access, and rural health funding across Africa. Advocacy groups use this data to demand better healthcare budgets and track government promises.
Live Dashboards:
Maternal mortality ratios by country/region
Hospital bed availability in rural vs. urban areas
Government health spending as % of GDP (WHO recommends 15%, most African countries spend <5%)
Skilled birth attendant access rates
📍 Explore Health Data → rflgd.org/maternal
💊 SECTION 6: MA SANTÉ, MON DROIT (My Health, My Right)
SRHR Advocacy for Francophone Africa
29 African countries are Francophone—yet ❤️% of global gender funding reaches them. Our “Ma Santé, Mon Droit” hub bridges the language gap, providing French-language resources for Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) advocacy.
Resources Available:
Model legislation (safe abortion, contraception access, HPV vaccination)
Advocacy toolkits (community mobilization, media campaigns)
Legal aid directories (pro-bono lawyers in 15 Francophone countries)
Training modules (for health workers, journalists, lawyers)
📍 Visit the Hub → rflgd.org/hub-donuese-ma-sante-mon-droit
💰 SECTION 7: ECONOMIC JUSTICE TRACKER
Follow the Money. Demand Gender-Responsive Budgets.
Economic Justice isn’t just about GDP—it’s about where public money goes. Our Economic Justice Tracker monitors national budgets for gender responsiveness, exposing funding gaps and amplifying advocacy for:
Women’s agricultural subsidies
Girls’ education budgets
Gender-based violence services funding
Women’s entrepreneurship grants
2025 Scorecard Highlights:
Only 8 African countries allocate >5% of budgets to GBV prevention
$4.2B in “women’s empowerment” funds remain undisbursed due to bureaucratic delays
Agricultural subsidies: Women produce 60% of Africa’s food but receive only 12% of ag subsidies
📍 Analyze Budgets → rflgd.org/ecojustice-in-africa
🎯 CALL TO ACTION SECTION
How You Can Use RFLD’s Data Infrastructure
For Activists & Advocates:
✅ Generate evidence-based policy briefs using our legislative database
✅ Track your government’s promises with our budget monitoring tools
✅ Report digital attacks via our 24/7 incident system
For Journalists:
✅ Access exclusive datasets for investigative stories
✅ Request expert commentary from RFLD’s policy team
✅ Download infographics for your articles
For Donors & Foundations:
✅ Due diligence data on African women’s organizations
✅ Impact measurement tools for your grantees
✅ Partner with RFLD to co-create data solutions
RFLD – Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement – Women Leaders Network for Development
Investing in Women & Girls | Investir dans les Femmes et les Filles
📍 Headquarters: Cotonou, Benin | Accra, Ghana | Banjul, Gambia
