GIZ SEA-T’s Konstanze Ricken visits RFLD in Dakar

On Wednesday 14 October 2026, Konstanze Ricken, Programme Director of SEA-T (Society Equality Africa Transformation) at GIZ, visited the office of the Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD) in Dakar. She was in Senegal for the 89th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, where two days earlier she had spoken on the panel on women human rights defenders that RFLD facilitated with SEA-T support. The visit gave her a direct view of the team and the work the programme supports in Senegal and across francophone West Africa.

Konstanze Ricken of GIZ with the RFLD team at the Dakar office — Konstanze Ricken (SEA-T, GIZ) with the RFLD team at the Dakar office, 14 October 2026.

The SEA-T team at GIZ proposed the visit so that she could meet RFLD in its own premises during her stay in Dakar. She was welcomed at 9:30 by Mr John GBENAGNON, RFLD Regional Director of Strategy and Development, and Ms Bathor SECK, RFLD Country Representative for Senegal, together with members of the Dakar team.

A partnership built on Afrofeminist leadership

SEA-T is implemented by GIZ on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). Through SEA-T, RFLD leads the Afrofeminist Initiative for Human Rights Development in Francophone West Africa. The initiative rests on a simple idea. Women who defend rights in their communities know best what they need, and support should reach them directly.

Konstanze Ricken during the meeting at the RFLD office in Dakar — Konstanze Ricken during the meeting at RFLD’s Dakar office.

The initiative works on two fronts. RFLD strengthens women human rights defenders and the organisations they lead, through training, accompaniment and safety support. It also channels sub-grants to partner organisations in the region, so that resources reach groups that rarely receive direct funding from international partners. Each partner designs its project around priorities it defines itself.

This approach matters in francophone West Africa. Many women’s organisations there work with volunteers and very small budgets, often far from the capitals. They are close to the women they serve, yet they struggle to meet the conditions set by large funders. By working through a regional network, SEA-T support can reach these groups while RFLD accompanies them and handles the reporting that such funding requires.

RFLD in Senegal

The meeting opened with a presentation of RFLD’s presence in Senegal. RFLD is recognised as an international organisation by the Government of Senegal, and its Dakar office is one of its hubs for francophone Africa. From Dakar, the team accompanies partner organisations in Senegal and the wider region, and prepares RFLD’s advocacy before the African Commission.

Working session between GIZ and RFLD in Dakar — The working session in the meeting room of the Dakar office.

RFLD is a pan-African feminist network of 1,143 member organisations in more than 35 countries. Its work in Senegal draws on that network. Women’s organisations from Senegal take part in RFLD’s trainings and regional exchanges, and they bring their own experience to the network’s advocacy.

RFLD team members during the meeting — RFLD team members present the work of the Dakar office.

The impact of SEA-T support

The discussion then turned to what SEA-T support has changed. The team explained how the programme helped RFLD move from separate activities to a structured regional approach. Defenders who took part in the initiative now use what they learned to document cases and to accompany survivors. Partner organisations that receive sub-grants run their own projects with a level of autonomy that short-term project funding rarely allows.

Exchange during the meeting at the RFLD office — An exchange during the meeting on the results of the initiative.

The 89th Session was part of the conversation. RFLD brought a delegation of 42 people from 15 African countries to Dakar. With SEA-T support, the panel Defending without being exposed reached the main agenda of the Commission on 12 October, chaired by Hon. Rémy Ngoy Lumbu, Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders. For RFLD, the panel showed what a partnership can achieve when it opens space for women defenders to be heard at the regional level.

RFLD team member speaking with the GIZ visitor — The team discussed the follow-up to the 89th Session of the African Commission.

Why the visit matters

Field visits change the relationship between partners. Reports and financial statements describe progress, yet they cannot show the people behind it. In Dakar, Konstanze Ricken met the team that follows partner organisations day to day and heard how defenders use the support they receive.

For RFLD, the visit was also a chance to share the challenges ahead. Civic space is under pressure in several countries of the region, and online violence against women defenders keeps growing. Funding for women’s organisations in francophone Africa remains scarce, and much of it never reaches grassroots groups. Flexible support of the kind SEA-T provides helps organisations hold on in difficult periods and respond quickly when defenders are threatened.

Konstanze Ricken at RFLD’s Dakar office.

Konstanze Ricken arriving at the RFLD office — Arrival at the RFLD office in Dakar.

Looking ahead

Both sides discussed the next steps of the partnership. The 2026 sub-grants to partner organisations are being rolled out, and the commitments made during the 89th Session now need follow-up with the Commission and with national authorities. RFLD will continue to share progress and lessons through its website and its regular exchanges with GIZ.

Informal exchange between RFLD and GIZ — An informal exchange at the end of the visit.

The RFLD team and the GIZ delegation at the Dakar office.

Group photo at the RFLD office in Dakar — Group photo at the end of the visit.

RFLD thanks Konstanze Ricken for her visit and her commitment, and the SEA-T team at GIZ for organising it. We also thank BMZ for its support to women’s leadership and human rights in West Africa.

Konstanze Ricken at the RFLD office — RFLD thanks Konstanze Ricken and the SEA-T team for the visit.

About RFLD: the Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement is a pan-African feminist network of 1,143 member organisations in more than 35 countries, with Observer Status N°553 with the ACHPR. Media enquiries: communications.info@rflgd.org

Published by

Africa · RFLD

Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement — a pan-African network for gender equality and development advancing women's rights, SRHR, civic space and climate justice across 35+ African countries since 2013.

Partner with us → Support our work →