The citizen audit is out.
Who kept the promise? Who broke it? Find your country’s scorecard:
Dear friend of RFLD,
Twenty-three years after African states adopted the Maputo Protocol, we asked one question of 49 countries: did you do what you signed?
The Maputo Barometer 2026 is our answer, a citizen audit spanning West, Central, East, and Southern Africa. Each country is scored on anti-GBV laws, girls’ education, and political representation, and each profile now carries a legal file on safe abortion, sexual harassment, family planning, the family code, and inheritance, backed by 61 sourced endnotes.
You will find triple-green performers, courts defied by parliaments, and the eight countries still outside the treaty. Read your country’s scorecard and share it with those who should answer for it:
In sisterhood and accountability,
Obstetric Violence: RFLD Welcomes a U.K. Sunday Times Journalist in Porto-Novo
Porto-Novo, 21 July 2026 — The Network of Women Leaders for Development (RFLD) welcomed Ruth Hallows, a journalist with The Sunday Times of London, to its Porto-Novo offices for a report on obstetric violence in Benin.
The meeting brought together several of the network’s leads: Dr Sandrine Chikou, Grants Lead; Ms Maroufatou Falola, Coordinator of RFLD’s member-organisation platform in Benin; and Mr John Gbenagnon, Regional Director in charge of Development and Strategy.
Discussions focused on the network’s priority areas: combating violence against women and girls, sexual and reproductive health and rights, family planning, and the implementation of the Maputo Protocol. Particular attention was given to the BRAVE programme https://rflgd.org/the-brave-program/ and to the support RFLD provides to its 1,143 member organisations across more than 35 countries.
“Obstetric violence remains one of the blind spots of health policy on the continent,” said Dr Sandrine CGIKOU. “International media attention helps break the silence and puts the dignity of women back at the centre of the debate.”
The visit reflects the growing international interest in the work of African feminist organisations on women’s health and rights. It is fully in keeping with RFLD’s mission: to document violations of women’s rights, amplify their voices, and hold decision-makers to account.
About RFLD
The Network of Women Leaders for Development is a pan-African, Afrofeminist network bringing together 1,143 member organisations across more than 35 countries, with offices in Porto-Novo, Accra, Dakar, Banjul and Igolo.
Media enquiries: ADMIN@RFLGD.ORG
