Violent conflict drains billions from African economies annually, through military spending, lost productivity, and humanitarian crises.
Across Africa, women affected by conflict, displacement, climate shocks, and economic exclusion face intersecting barriers: limited access to livelihoods, weak protection systems, and deeply entrenched gender norms. Gender-Based Violence (GBV) continues to be a huge issue with about 38% of women in Africa having experienced physical or sexual violence from a partner or non-partner. These challenges undermine not only women’s inclusion and participation but also long-term stability and overall growth across the continent.
AUDA-NEPAD’s African Women’s Empowerment Program (AWEP) has been at the forefront of addressing these challenges by supporting women and girls through community-based initiatives, skills development, entrepreneurship support, advocacy, and leadership training.
Women for Women International has over three decades of experience serving women survivors of war and conflict, through its locally led approach, deep technical expertise and trusted partnerships.
By combining the strengths of the two organizations, this strategic partnership aims to expand the reach and quality of women’s empowerment programs as part of advancing the African Union’s Agenda 2063 vision.
Partnership Scope and Intended Results (2026–2028)
This partnership will focus on post-conflict, fragile, and climate-vulnerable contexts, where investments in women’s economic independence and social protection deliver high returns for household resilience, community recovery, and long-term stability.
- Goal: To establish a strategic partnership that advances women’s economic independence, prevents and responds to gender-based violence, and mobilizes resources at scale in support of Agenda 2063 priorities.
- Impact: Empowered women living violence-free lives and contributing to sustainable, inclusive, and equitable societies across Africa.
Why This Partnership Matters
his strategic partnership reflects our shared commitment to advancing gender equality, thereby contributing directly to the African Union’s Agenda 2063 vision of inclusive, sustainable development. It aims to catalyze new partnerships, investments, and coalitions that accelerate gender-responsive, locally led development across Africa.
Through this partnership, we will:
1. Strengthen women’s economic independence
- Co-design and scale livelihood initiatives focused on financial literacy, digital skills, and market access
- Prioritize post-conflict and climate-vulnerable settings
- Generate evidence on the cost of inaction on women’s economic empowerment
2. Embed survivor-centered GBV prevention and response
- Integrate rights-based education, trauma-informed psychosocial support, and men’s engagement
- Strengthen community and policy systems that protect women and girls
- Shift harmful social and gender norms through proven, scalable approaches
3. Convene for influence and action
- Co-host high-level dialogues, regional convenings, and donor roundtables
- Elevate African women’s voices in policy and investment discussions
- Connect women-led organizations to opportunities, resources, and networks
4. Mobilize resources for scale
- Jointly engage donors and partners
- Catalyze funding to expand effective interventions
- Align investments with Agenda 2063 priorities
5. Share knowledge, learnings, and drive sustainability
- Conduct joint research, share learnings on programs including men’s engagement, and share fundraising intelligence
- Document and disseminate best practices
- Strengthen advocacy efforts and support the sustainability and replication of successful models across Africa
We know that investing in women’s social and economic inclusion yields high returns: reduced recidivism of violence, improved household resilience, and accelerated community recovery. This partnership will create and implement scalable, high-impact interventions to advance gender equality in Africa.
Together, AUDA-NEPAD and Women for Women International are investing in women not as beneficiaries, but as drivers of Africa’s future.
To learn more about the partnership, contact:
Jessica Annor, AUDA-NEPAD Senior Programme Officer – Gender & Women Empowerment, at [email protected] Thelma Ekiyor, International CEO, WfWI, at [email protected]
