Our experience in gender justice and human rights.
Since 2013, the Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD), the Women Leaders Network for Development, has worked to protect the rights of women, young people and marginalised groups in Sub-Saharan Africa, with its deepest roots in francophone West Africa and the Sahel. This statement sets out who we are, what we work on and how we work.
A pan-African network for gender equality and development.
RFLD is a pan-African network of 1,143 member organisations in more than 35 African countries, working across the Sahel, West, Central and Southern Africa. Our programme priorities include sexual and reproductive health and rights, economic justice, climate justice, peace and security, and participatory governance.
RFLD is registered as an International Organisation in Senegal and as a non-governmental organisation in Benin, Ghana, Nigeria and The Gambia. Our reach across francophone, lusophone and anglophone Africa, and our working relationships with women’s organisations, governments and regional networks, allow us to influence policy and improve the environment for women’s rights.
RFLD is led by its Africa Director and Founder, Dossi Sêkonnou Gloria AGUEH, under the oversight of an independent Board of Directors. See Our people.
| Office | Role |
|---|---|
| Accra, Ghana | Africa Office, headquarters; engagement with the African Union and UN bodies |
| Porto-Novo, Benin | Francophone Hub |
| Dakar, Senegal | Francophone Hub, International Organisation status |
| Banjul, The Gambia | ACHPR Liaison |
| Lagos, Nigeria | Nigeria Office |
| Igolo, Benin | Member and Local Platforms |
More on our countries and offices: Countries where RFLD works.
Vision
A Sub-Saharan Africa where women and young people take a full part in development and lead it.
Mission
To empower women and young people across Sub-Saharan Africa so that their rights are protected and they take part in the decisions that affect their lives. We work with governments and civil society to develop public policies that advance the rights of women and girls.
Our identity rests on building the capacity of civil society organisations and the media, who often work without physical or legal protection. We help them operate safely and defend their own rights and those of their communities. We believe in African and global solidarity, and in development that starts at the grassroots. Our ability to carry women’s voices into frank dialogue with authorities keeps women’s rights on political agendas.
Protecting women human rights defenders.
Women human rights defenders face persecution because of their work. RFLD reduces their exposure through protection mechanisms and capacity building. We help defenders engage with human rights instruments, address the resource gaps that put their safety at risk, and mobilise regional and international support when they are attacked. We work with defenders, human rights organisations and national coalitions across sub-regional networks.
Civil society
Women human rights defenders, pro-democracy and environmental activists, registered organisations, community-based groups, unregistered collectives and informal networks, and coalitions from national to regional level.
Media
Women journalists, content creators, media practitioners and social media producers.
Impact groups
Women and other people subjected to violence, discrimination, persecution or oppression, including persons living with disabilities and indigenous peoples.
What we work on.
Our expertise covers economic justice, ending harmful practices, sexual and reproductive health and rights, climate justice, human rights, and peace and security. It is delivered through the programmes below.
Political leadership
PAWELE
Strengthens women’s political leadership and participation.
PAWELE programmeBodily autonomy and safety
BRAVE
Advances bodily autonomy, sexual and reproductive health and rights, and safety for women and girls.
BRAVE programmeHarmful practices
Ending FGM and harmful practices
Campaigns and programmes against female genital mutilation and early marriage.
Ending FGMClimate
Climate Justice
Supports women’s organisations responding to the climate crisis in their communities.
Climate JusticeDigital civic space
NAFASI
A Sida-funded consortium initiative on digital rights and civic space.
NAFASIHuman rights and media
CHARM Africa
A Sida-funded consortium of seven organisations protecting human rights, civic freedoms and media in Sub-Saharan Africa.
CHARM AfricaOrganisational strength
Organizational Resilience Program
A free management suite and support for member organisations to strengthen their own systems.
Re-granting
West African Feminist Fund (WAFF)
Grants to women-led organisations in 15 West African countries.
WAFFRe-granting
Africa Grant Portfolio
Opens in January 2027 to organisations in all 55 African Union member states.
Africa Grant PortfolioSee all programmes: Our programmes.
Our theory of change.
Lasting gender equality depends on change at individual, organisational and community level, and in the policy environment. We work on structural and individual barriers at the same time. Read the full theory of change.
Individual empowerment
Education and training in leadership, advocacy and digital literacy help women understand and claim their rights, and act together.
Organisational change
We support organisations to adopt gender-sensitive policies, develop women’s leadership and set up accountability mechanisms such as gender committees.
Community mobilisation
Community-based groups lead dialogue and advocacy against harmful norms and practices, and own the solutions they design.
Policy advocacy
We work with governments and policymakers so that women’s voices shape decisions, and we monitor how gender-sensitive policies are implemented.
Intersectionality
Women and young people face multiple, overlapping forms of discrimination. We adapt our work to the needs of marginalised groups, including women with disabilities, LGBTQ+ people and rural women.
Pathways
Capacity building and coalitions
Training for civil society organisations on advocacy, coalition building and resource mobilisation, and support to work together.
Research and knowledge
Research and data to inform advocacy and policy, and documentation of what works, shared through networking platforms.
Convening and campaigns
Meetings, dialogues and consultations between stakeholders, and public campaigns that build support for change.
Grants in fragile contexts
Grants and technical support to organisations working with women and girls in conflict-affected areas and humanitarian crises.
How we operate
- Participation. Communities take part in designing and implementing interventions.
- Evidence. Strategies are informed by research and data analysis.
- Monitoring and evaluation. We track progress and report on it.
- Adaptive management. We adjust strategies as contexts and needs change.
- Open civic space. We advocate for laws that protect freedom of expression, association and assembly, and we support the defenders and organisations working to expand civic space.
What our work has achieved.
Since 2013, RFLD has supported 9.78 million women and girls, and the network now counts 575,823 women leaders. In 2025, 79.8% of our spending went to field programmes. Detailed figures are on our Financials and Impact pages.
Capacity building
Training and awareness programmes have equipped women and young people with leadership, advocacy and digital skills to take part in decision-making.
Advocacy
RFLD has contributed to legislative advocacy on gender-based violence in several countries.
Data and research
The DƆNÙESÈ Data Center collects and analyses gender data and offers twelve free bilingual tools for defenders and advocates.
Sexual and reproductive health and rights
We advocate on safe abortion, sexual violence, trafficking and attacks on sexual minorities, raise community awareness, and make sub-grants to grassroots organisations working to improve maternal and reproductive health.
Women in political life
RFLD supports the initiatives of women leaders in countries such as Benin to take on leadership roles and influence policy.
Harmful practices
Campaigns against female genital mutilation and early marriage have contributed to changes in social norms.
Humanitarian response
In fragile contexts, RFLD has worked to give women, especially survivors of conflict-related sexual violence, access to justice and support services.
Collaboration
We work with governments, civil society and international organisations on public policies that empower women and young people and support peace.
Working with the African Union system and beyond.
RFLD holds Observer Status N°553 with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights and is a member of the Support Group to the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders (Resolution 602). We use African Union and ACHPR frameworks to make sure the voices of all people, including persons living with disabilities and LBTQI people, are heard.
We work with ECOWAS and with United Nations bodies including UNESCO, take part in discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals, and align our policy work with the African Governance Architecture. These relationships help mobilise support and protection for defenders, and uphold standards on the prevention of sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment.
To build local capacity at scale we use training-of-trainers models and online courses through our Francophone Hub.
- ACHPR Observer Status N°553
- Support Group to the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders (Resolution 602)
- Co-Chair, GIZ/BMZ Africa SEA-T Advisory Council (2026)
- Member of Solidarity for African Women’s Rights (SOAWR)
- Member of the CHARM Africa consortium
- NGOsource 501(c)(3) equivalency
- Candid Seal of Transparency 2025
See Networks and coalitions, our work on the Maputo Protocol and AU human rights mechanisms.
Institutional funders of RFLD today: Sida, BMZ and GIZ, the David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Norad, AFD, CIVICUS, DefendDefenders and CIDH Africa.
Our analysis of a shrinking civic space.
Civic space is the environment in which people can organise, participate and speak without fear of repression. It covers the freedoms of association, assembly and expression, and extends to digital space and media freedom. It underpins democratic accountability, the protection of human rights and the ability of civil society to work for marginalised groups.
Current pressures
- Military takeovers in Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso and Niger since August 2020, and the erosion of the rule of law that follows.
- Restrictive laws on civil society, media and digital rights, and limits on foreign funding and registration.
- Arbitrary arrests, judicial harassment and surveillance of activists and journalists.
- Internet shutdowns, censorship and disinformation campaigns against human rights work.
- State rhetoric invoking “traditional values” to restrict gender roles, and sexualised violence used to silence women activists.
- Targeted persecution of LGBTQIA+ people and ethnic minorities, and impunity for abuses.
- Higher risks for defenders in rural and remote areas, and from non-state armed groups.
Consequences
- Democratic erosion: less participation, less trust in institutions and weaker checks and balances.
- More human rights violations and more impunity.
- Civil society less able to deliver services and advocate for communities.
- Deeper inequality, with women, LBT+ people and young people most exposed, and less capacity to tackle gender-based violence.
- Governments facing less scrutiny and citizens less able to demand transparency.
Who shapes civic space
Local and national NGOs, women-led, youth-led and LGBTQIA+ organisations; women human rights defenders, who face particular risks; independent journalists and online activists; regional and international bodies such as the ACHPR, UN agencies and donors; and governments and security forces, who can open or close the space.
How we respond
Coalitions
Collective action and shared resources across networks.
Digital advocacy and security
Online mobilisation that works around media restrictions, backed by digital security practice. See the African Digital Safety Compendium.
International advocacy
Engagement with regional and international human rights mechanisms to raise awareness and press national governments.
Training and adaptation
Training for activists on security, advocacy and digital rights, and support for organisations to adapt to hostile environments.
Where it is possible, we also work constructively with progressive government actors toward shared goals.
Support defenders and civic space in Africa.
Our work with women human rights defenders and grassroots organisations depends on committed partners. We welcome funders and philanthropists who want to strengthen democratic participation and equality in a region where both are under pressure.
Partnerships: gbenagnon.john@rflgd.org · Programmes: programs@rflgd.org