· NAFASI Project Sida Grant · BMZ GIZ SEA-T (Human Rights – Gender Equality – Development – Political Participation)
NAFASI (Swahili for “space”) is a three-year initiative funded by Sida (the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency) to defend Africa’s digital civic space against state repression, spyware, internet shutdowns, AI-driven disinformation, and Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence.
Led by Magamba Network (Zimbabwe) with implementing partners DefendDefenders (Uganda) and RFLD Ghana, the initiative operates across three pillars: policy and governance reform, digital resilience and truth, and network power and sustainability.
Explore RFLD’s core mandate within NAFASI : https://rflgd.org/nafasi/
I. Political Participation — AIHRDFWA – A regional architecture for inclusive democracy
Dakar · Porto-Novo · Lomé · 18–23 May 2026 l 110 women leaders. Three capitals. Six days.
From 18 to 23 May 2026, RFLD deploys a regional initiative of considerable scale on women’s political participation in francophone West Africa, under the Afrofeminist Initiative for Human Rights Development in Francophone West Africa (AIHRDFWA), led by RFLD with financing from the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and technical accompaniment from the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) through the SEA-T programme.
The training sequence proceeds successively in Dakar (Senegal, 18–19 May), in Cotonou and Porto-Novo (Benin, 20–21 May), and in Lomé (Togo, 22–23 May).
Beyond knowledge transfer, the intervention aims to catalyse systemic change — to constitute a transnational critical mass of politically active women capable of supporting inclusive legislative agendas, contesting structural patriarchal norms, and defending feminist civic space at the level of the West African sub-region.
The SEA-T programme — Society. Equality. Africa. Transformation
The SEA-T programme works with local and regional civil society actors. It promotes social transformation and citizen participation to reduce gender inequalities and rebalance power relations. SEA-T recognises the expertise, autonomy and initiative of its partners. It provides financial and technical support, fosters regional exchanges, and reinforces advocacy efforts. Funded by the BMZ in collaboration with GIZ, SEA-T is an example of international cooperation that supports African-led change.
Institutional voice
“Women’s political participation in francophone West Africa is not a cosmetic requirement. It is a sine qua non condition of stability, sustainable development and institutional accountability. When women decide, public policies become more inclusive, social budgets are prioritised, and citizen trust in institutions is rebuilt.”— Dossi Sekonnou Gloria AGUEH – Africa Director · Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement
Explore our SEA-T BMZ / GIZ Project : https://rflgd.org/2025/08/07/rfld-partnership-with-giz-focus-on-francophone-africa/
II. Continental Advocacy — ACHPR – A high-level delegation to the 87th Ordinary Session
Banjul, The Gambia · 11–20 May 2026
From 11 to 20 May 2026, a high-level RFLD delegation will participate in the 87th Ordinary Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara International Conference Centre in Kololi, The Gambia. The delegation will deliver oral statements, hold bilateral meetings with Special Rapporteurs, co-host a side event on civic space monitoring, and continue RFLD’s work as a member of the ACHPR Working Group on Human Rights Defenders.
The ACHPR Working Group on Human Rights Defenders
RFLD serves as a member of the ACHPR Working Group on Human Rights Defenders and Focal Point on Reprisals in Africa, chaired by Hon. Rémy Ngoy Lumbu, Former Chairperson of the African Commission and Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders. The ACHPR Guidelines on Freedom of Association and Assembly are essential for fostering an environment where citizens can organise and express their views without fear of reprisal. Within the Working Group, RFLD plays specific roles:
- Responding to the escalating threats faced by women defenders, who are frequently targeted for championing civic, digital, and environmental freedoms.
- Ensuring that activists, NGOs, and communities can engage in advocacy without fear of retaliation.
- Disseminating updates on the human rights landscape across francophone and lusophone Africa — linguistic regions historically under-represented in continental advocacy networks.
- Identifying and implementing coordinated strategies to address emerging challenges, particularly in the Sahel and contexts of acute civic-space pressure.
- Formulating unified approaches to promote and protect human rights, including continental positions on legislation that restricts civil society space.
- Conducting thorough research on human rights violations affecting women, youth, and vulnerable groups — including RFLD’s annual WHRDs in Sub-Saharan Africa report and the Maputo Barometer.
- Through our RFLD Countries Data Center, we submit critical country-level data to the Commission on human rights violations across thematic areas concerning women, youth, and vulnerable populations.
- Under Article 62 of the African Charter, States Parties submit Periodic Reports to the Commission biennially. RFLD reviews and contributes shadow analysis to State reports under consideration at each session, in collaboration with peer civil society organisations.
Oral statements at the 87th Session
RFLD will deliver oral statements under the following agenda items, reserved for civil society organisations holding observer status with the Commission:
- Item 3 — Human rights situation in Africa. RFLD’s intervention will focus on civic-space trends across francophone West Africa and the Sahel, particularly the persecution of women human rights defenders and restrictive NGO legislation enacted in several focal countries.
- Item 5 — Activity report of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders and Focal Point on Reprisals in Africa. RFLD will respond to Hon. Rémy Ngoy Lumbu’s activity report with specific reference to the protection mechanisms operative for francophone WHRDs and the gaps that remain.
- Item 6 — Activity reports of Commissioners and Special Rapporteurs. RFLD will engage with the activity reports of Special Rapporteurs whose mandates intersect with our institutional priorities — particularly the Rights of Women in Africa, Freedom of Expression, and Refugees, Asylum-Seekers, Internally Displaced Persons and Migrants.
- Working Group on Extractive Industries, Environment and Human Rights Violations in Africa (WGEI). RFLD will contribute to the discussion on the gendered impacts of extractive industry practice and climate-displacement of women in affected communities.
Each statement focuses on civic-space trends, the protection of human rights defenders, and the substantive implementation of fundamental freedoms across the continent. Where appropriate, statements draw on RFLD research outputs — including the WHRDs in Sub-Saharan Africa report, the Maputo Barometer, and country-level data submitted through the RFLD Countries Data Center.
Side events
On the margins of the 87th Session, RFLD will co-convene a side event focused on civic-space monitoring and the protection of women human rights defenders — examining the architecture of civil society support across the African Union, the role of regional networks, and the practical strategies through which national and sub-regional organisations can better protect WHRDs operating under acute pressure.
The session targets national and regional human rights organisations, National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs), independent human rights monitors and defenders, member-state representatives, and civic actors engaged with the Commission. Confirmed participation includes the Commissioner-rapporteurs whose mandates intersect with civic-space and WHRD protection. Final venue, date, and confirmed speaker list will be announced via RFLD’s social channels in advance of the session.
Explore our Protection Programme : https://rflgd.org/protection-des-droits-humains/
Explore our Civic Space Programme : https://rflgd.org/espace-civique-droits-de-lhomme/
III. Civic Space — Early Warning
Organised in partnership with CIVICUS, RFLD is hosting a Regional Meeting on Early Warning and Civic Space Advocacy from 6 to 8 May 2026 in Benin.
Funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), the regional training meeting — titled “From the Local to the Regional Community: Forging and Strengthening a Regional Early Warning Network for an Effective Civic Space Advocacy” — will gather participants from more than 25 countries in recognition of the critical role that civil society plays in bridging early warning analysis and timely advocacy action across West Africa.
Despite significant investments in early warning systems (EWS) across the region, a persistent gap remains between the generation of early warning data and the triggering of decisive, impactful advocacy responses. This meeting directly addresses that “warning–response gap” by equipping practitioners with integrated skills in governance, human rights, and conflict-sensitive analysis — enabling them to translate data into compelling policy recommendations.
Participants will have the opportunity to deepen their understanding of existing early warning mechanisms, develop evidence-based advocacy strategies, strengthen regional networks, and contribute to concrete advocacy products targeting real-world scenarios. The meeting will foster solidarity, mutual learning, and sustained collaboration among practitioners across the continent.
About RFLD
The Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD) is a pan-African feminist organisation registered in Senegal, Benin, Ghana, and The Gambia. The network unites 1,143 member organisations across more than fifteen African countries.
RFLD holds Observer Status with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and serves on the ACHPR Working Group on Human Rights Defenders. The organisation chairs the SEA-T Council 2026 (a cohort of continentally selected feminist organisations) and is NGOsource 501(c)(3) Equivalency Determination certified.
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