About Us
The African Women Leaders Forum (AWLF) is a movement that advances young women's political participation and leadership in Sub-Saharan Africa. AWLF works to harness and catalyse efforts by young women, youth, women and other civil society collectives towards the advancement of the influence, participation and visibility of young women in democratic processes such as politics and other spheres of decision making in Africa. The programme was initiated in December 2018 through consultations with young women activists, young women’s organisations and politicians in Africa who saw the need for the increase participation of young women in decision making processes across the region.
The work of AWLF is to build and influence the efforts and mandates of individuals, in particular young women and women in politics and those aspiring to be in politics. AWLF also works with youth and civil society organizations and movements contributing to young women’s political participation in Africa. We also aim to work and collaborate with political parties in Africa and to participate in and influence decision making in spaces such as the African Union (AU), the African Union Commission (AUC) and the African Commission on Human and Peoples Rights (ACHPR). AWLF’s political strategy is to collaborate with, to think alongside and to share skills and tools with young women and strategic movements to create pathways towards a better future. AWLF prides itself in being a deeply analytical, innovative solution holder platform. We believe that there are no excuses for young women to live miserably and unaccounted for in society.
Who We Work With
01. Young women
AWLF promotes young women's political participation, solidarity, and empowerment in various ways, including: Capacity building: We provide training and capacity building programs to equip young women with the skills and knowledge they need to participate in political processes, such as campaigning, advocacy, and leadership. Advocacy: We advocate for policies and legal frameworks that promote young women's political participation and empowerment. This also raises awareness about the barriers that young women face in accessing political participation.
Mentorship: We support mentorship programs that connect young women with established women leaders in their respective fields.
This helps young women build networks, gain confidence, and receive guidance on navigating the challenges of political participation.
Solidarity and networking: We encourage young women to form networks and alliances to support each other's politicalaspirations. This enables young women to share experiences and resources, buildsolidarity, and collaborate on advocacy efforts. Representation: We advocate for increased representation of young women in decision-making processes, such as political parties, parliaments, and government bodies. This helps to ensure that young women's voices are heard and their perspectives are taken into account in policy-making.
02. Women politicians and decision makers
One of the key ways AWLF works with women
politicians and decision-makers is through ensuring the participation of women in peace processes, conflict prevention, and post-conflict reconstruction. We work
with women politicians and decision-makers to ensure that their voices are heard and that they have equal opportunities to participate in decision-making
processes. Furthermore, AWLF works to address gender-based discrimination and violence against women in politics and decision-making. This includes providing support to women who face harassment or violence while
participating in politics, as well as advocating for policies and laws that promote women's safety and security.
03. Political parties
AWLF works with political parties to promote gender equality and women's empowerment bybuilding their capacity, advocating for policies and programs, facilitating partnerships, and conducting research and data analysis.
04. Human Rights, Social Justice Movements & Community Based Organizations
The work of awlf intersects and is influenced by existing social, cultural and economic issues. Indeed, these issues are some of the bigger impediments to the active and continued participation of young women in politics and decision making across the continent. Human rights organizations (HROs), Non-governmental organizations (NGOs), Community based organizations (CBOs) and social justice organizations and movements are therefore key and influential partners for AWLF.
05. Regional governance institutions & instruments
Regional organizations such as the African union AU), the African union commission (AUC) and the african commission on human and peoples rights (ACHPR), the african charter on democracy, elections and governance (ACDEG) and the africa governance report are influential entities/protocols that can help push awlfs agenda further. These are strategic for influence and potential fiscal support for awlfs work in the region.
Collaborate with us
If you are have any questions or want to know more about our organization, location or meetings.