A strategic meeting was held on October 8 at RFLD’s Porto Novo office to consolidate collaboration around the Afrofeminist Initiative for Human Rights Development (AIHRDFWA)
The Women Leaders for Development Network (RFLD) =hosted a pivotal meeting between Mrs. Dossi Sekonnou AGUEH, RFLD’s Africa CEO, and a delegation from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). This meeting took place as part of the ongoing project to strengthen feminist civil society in Francophone West Africa.
The GIZ delegation was represented by Hernandez Maida, Technical Advisor at the SEA-T Programme (Society. Equality. Africa – the Transformation). This innovative regional initiative, launched in 2024 and running through 2028, aims to support and amplify afro-feminist, gender-diverse, and intersectional civil society movements across Africa.
“We are grounded in the belief that transformative change must come from those most affected by injustice,” emphasizes the SEA-T programme philosophy. This decolonial and feminist approach forms the foundation of a collaboration that rejects one-size-fits-all solutions in favor of development adapted to local realities.
At the heart of this collaboration lies the AIHRDFWA, a comprehensive 30-month project (2025-2028) covering eight Francophone West African countries: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Guinea, Mali, Niger, Senegal, and Togo.
This initiative, implemented by RFLD and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with support from GIZ, proposes an innovative approach to:
- Counter shrinking civic space that threatens human rights organizations
- Strengthen civil society with a particular focus on women’s rights organizations
- Promote inclusive policy development through participatory methods
Three Pillars for Transformation
The SEA-T programme is structured around three interconnected areas that guide this strategic collaboration:
1. Movement Strengthening
The initiative supports long-term organizing by helping to build strong, sustainable structures that center care, autonomy, and community.
2. Networking & Solidarity
Spaces are created and sustained for activists and organizations to connect, share strategies, and build alliances across regions and struggles — because no movement thrives in isolation.
3. Feminist Knowledge & Advocacy
Investment is made in partner-driven research, data generation, and advocacy that centers lived experience and challenges systems of oppression at all levels — from the local to the global.
The Women Leaders for Development Network brings considerable expertise to this collaboration in civic space advocacy, media development, digital innovation, and the urgent protection of women human rights defenders (WHRDs).
RFLD as a Pan-African organization based in West Africa works to promote and protect the rights of women, youth, and vulnerable groups while ensuring their participation in decision-making spheres through awareness-raising, training, education programs, coalition-building, and advocacy using communication technologies.
Strategic Objectives of AIHRDFWA
This initiative focuses on four key areas:
- Advocacy for Inclusive Policy Changes
- Strengthening Digital Resilience and Security for Women Human Rights Defenders
- Expanding Cross-Border Networks for Solidarity
- Targeted Human Rights Programming and Democratic Participation
A Decolonial and Participatory Approach
Unlike traditional cooperation models, SEA-T and AIHRDFWA place local partners at the center of strategic decisions.
“We don’t set agendas – our role is to support partners in driving the change they want to see,” states the programme philosophy.
Building on Strong Foundations
A key contribution to AIHRDFWA is RFLD’s extensive reach into Francophone Africa, as well as its strong partnerships with women’s civil society organizations, government stakeholders, and regional networks to influence policies and improve the enabling environment for women’s rights.
Additionally, RFLD drives young women’s digital engagement strategies, ensuring that AIHRDFWA’s initiatives remain inclusive and representative. The organization plays a critical role in strengthening the work of Women/Human Rights Defenders by reducing their vulnerability to persecution through robust protection mechanisms and capacity-building initiatives.
SEA-T is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), Germany’s main public agency for international cooperation. GIZ works on behalf of the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), supporting initiatives for social justice, sustainability, and equitable development around the world.
While GIZ provides the structural backbone for SEA-T, the approach is guided by the priorities and leadership of partners. Together, they aim to model a kind of cooperation that is feminist, decolonial, and driven by care, accountability, and solidarity.
Toward a More Inclusive Future
This collaboration between RFLD and GIZ represents much more than a simple institutional partnership. It embodies a transformative vision where feminist and decolonial approaches are not merely theoretical concepts, but concrete tools for social change.
With RFLD leading this regional initiative, leveraging its strong partnerships with women’s civil society organizations, government stakeholders, and regional networks, AIHRDFWA is positioned to influence policies and improve the enabling environment for women’s rights across Francophone West Africa.
This meeting thus marks an important milestone in a transformation process that aims to create more inclusive, just, and liberated societies, led by those who daily experience the injustices they seek to combat.
The concrete design and direction of both programmes will continue to be shaped through participatory processes, ensuring that the voices and experiences of those most affected by systemic oppression remain at the forefront of this transformative work.
The Afrofeminist Initiative for Human Rights Development in Francophone West Africa (AIHRDFWA) is implemented by the Women Leaders for Development Network (RFLD) and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), with support from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH.
