Watch
This week in Senegal, RFLD is convening women on political participation and inclusive governance. From Dakar to Porto-Novo, from Lomé to Cotonou, we may speak different languages, but we name the same obstacles.
The Afro-feminism we champion at RFLD is not a theoretical import — it is a living memory: that of the resistance fighters, community organisers, and elders who carried this thread long before us. An African woman is never simply a woman: she is also rural or urban, young or old, Francophone or a speaker of a minority language, able-bodied or living with a disability.
This is why intersectionality is our methodological compass and solidarity our tangible foundation — because behind every woman who walks into an assembly stands an invisible coalition of those who made her entrance possible. That is mutual recognition.
Our thanks to the Government of Senegal. The Opening Ceremony Panel was composed of:
- Dr. Rokhaya Diakhaté — Director of Family Affairs
- Mama Diouf Fall — Technical Advisor to the Minister of Family and Solidarity
- Ms. Bathor Seck — RFLD Coordiantor in Senegal
- Sadikh Niass — Head of International Relations, Afrikajom Center
This activity is implemented by RFLD under the SEA-T programme — Society · Equality · Africa · Transformation, funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) with the support of the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ).
Coverage in the press
The convening was covered across Senegalese media — most outlets framed it around RFLD’s call for greater women’s representation in political and decision-making bodies, with several anchoring on the striking figure of 18 women mayors across 558 communes.
- Seneweb — « Seulement 18 mairesses sur 558 communes : le constat accablant d’une gouvernance masculine » seneweb.com
- Senego — « Au Sénégal, la loi sur la parité vise les élus mais pas les postes stratégiques » senego.com
- PressAfrik — « Représentativité politique : le RFLD soutient que le Sénégal ne peut se construire sans les femmes » pressafrik.com
- SenePlus — « Le RFLD plaide pour une meilleure représentation des femmes dans les instances de décision » seneplus.com
- APS (Agence de Presse Sénégalaise) — « Des femmes leaders appellent à plus de représentativité féminine aux postes de décision » aps.sn
- EnquêtePlus — « 18 mairesses sur 558 communes, 13 têtes de listes lors des dernières législatives… » enqueteplus.com
RFLD assumes the Presidency of the GIZ Africa SEA-T Advisory Council for 2026 — a historic milestone for francophone African feminism
We hold ACHPR Observer Status and sit on the Working Group of the ACHPR Special Rapporteur on Human Rights Defenders. RFLD is registered as a regional organisation across Benin, Senegal, Ghana, and The Gambia.
The accession of the Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD) to the Rotating Presidency of the SEA-T Advisory Council — Society. Equality. Africa — The Transformation — is far more than a ceremonial honour. It marks a structural shift in how the African feminist ecosystem is governed, resourced, and represented on the global stage. For 2026, RFLD — a pan-African feminist hub founded in 2013 and reaching more than 2.9 million women and girls each year — takes leadership of one of the continent’s most strategically significant civil society advisory bodies.
SEA-T is a flagship initiative funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ). Launched in 2024 and running through 2028, it is designed not as a traditional top-down development programme, but as an African civil-society-led transformation engine: a vehicle to strengthen feminist organisations, defend civic space, and advance gender equality across the continent — with African voices at the steering wheel.
At the heart of its governance sits the Advisory Council: Members drawn from some of Africa’s most experienced and respected civil society organisations. Its mandate is to provide strategic oversight, validate programme orientations, ensure that community voices are embedded in decision-making, and hold implementing partners accountable to feminist principles.
SEA-T Advisory Council — 2026 Members
The Council is composed of Africa-focused civil society organisations:
- African Women’s Development Fund (AWDF)
- The Other Foundation
- UHAI EASHRI — The East African Sexual Health and Rights Initiative
- Initiative Sankofa d’Afrique de l’Ouest (ISDAO)
- Africans Rising for Unity, Justice, Peace & Dignity
- Initiative Pananetugri pour le Bien-être de la Femme (IPBF)
- Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD) — 2026 Advisory Council President
- FEMNET — African Women’s Development and Communication Network
- Policy Data Institute
- ARTICLE 19
- Urgent Action Fund Africa (UAF-Africa)
Read the full announcement: rflgd.org/2026/03/04/rfld-assumes-the-presidency-of-the-giz-africa-sea-t-advisory-council-for-2026
ABOUT
Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement — Women Leaders Network for Development
Founded in 2013, RFLD is a pan-African feminist network anchored in francophone West Africa and operating continent-wide. We work at the intersection of law, policy, community organising, and data to defend and expand women’s rights across six integrated fields: sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR/DSSR); civic space and human rights; economic justice and climate; participatory governance; peace and security; and ending FGM and child marriage. Thirteen years on, RFLD combines legislative advocacy, community organising, re-granting, and open-data tools to advance women’s rights, SRHR, civic space, and climate justice across the continent.
RFLD’s network now comprises 1,143 member organisations across Africa, having added 317 new members in March 2026.
We deliver through five direct flagship programmes — Women’s Political Leadership programme (women’s political leadership), Health and Bodily Rights programme Program (SRHR), Climate (climate justice and gender-sensitive budgets), Health (ending malaria, MNCH, francophone systems), and Ending FGM — and we re-grant through the West African Feminist Fund and the Africa Grant Portfolio.
Our 2025 institutional donor base includes GIZ/BMZ, Sida, AmplifyChange, the Packard Foundation, Expertise France, Members subscription — longstanding multi-donor relationships that anchor our audited delivery.
For US-Based Partners
Your gift is direct, compliant, and fully tax-deductible.
RFLD holds a current NGOsource Equivalency Determination — a US 501(c)(3) Public Charity Equivalent certification. US foundations, Donor-Advised Funds, and individual donors may grant to RFLD directly, without expenditure responsibility and without fiscal sponsorship. Workplace giving platforms and employer matching are eligible.
Donate and Support our Work : https://rflgd.org/donate-to-rfld/
