The Africa Leadership Foundation (ALF) has launched a bold initiative calling for comprehensive national dialogues and stakeholder engagement to advance policy reforms addressing historical injustices against African women and girls.
This advocacy campaign was unveiled during a virtual dialogue organized in partnership with ALF’s regional stakeholders to mark the 2025 International Women’s Day, drawing participants from 22 African nations.
Speaking at the event, ALF’s Executive Director/Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Olumide Ajayi, emphasized that reparative justice extends far beyond acknowledging past wrongs, noting that “the legacy of slavery, colonization, and entrenched patriarchy continues to manifest in economic disparities, restricted access to land and leadership, and the widespread Gender-based Violence that women endure today.”
Dr. Ajayi revealed that key recommendations from the discussions would be compiled and shared with the African Union Commission and other relevant authorities to facilitate meaningful policy reforms across the continent.
Ms. Victoria Maloka, Head of Coordination and Outreach Division at the AUC Women, Gender and Youth Directorate, highlighted the AU Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls as central to the continental reparative justice agenda.
“For reparative justice to move from principle to practice, the ratification of the AU Convention on Ending Violence against Women and Girls must be prioritised by all AU member states so that it comes into force,” Maloka insisted.
Professor Shose Kessi, Dean of Humanity at the University of Cape Town, presented alarming statistics showing that 35 percent of women worldwide have experienced gender-based violence, with evidence suggesting similarly high levels across Africa. She noted that women’s vulnerability significantly increases during civil unrest, war, and crises.
“Women continue to be trapped in low-paying, low-skilled, informal, and exploitative forms of labour and temporary work, making the economic empowerment of women, which is a key determinant of living free of violence, ever more elusive,” Professor Kessi stated.
Ms. Grace Kabayo, Secretary General of the Pan-African Women’s Association, recounted her organization’s historical contributions to Africa’s decolonization and liberation movements, including advocacy for the formation of the Organization of African Unity (now AU) and the elimination of apartheid in South Africa.
Chimwemwe Fabiano of Akina Mama wa Afrika emphasized that reparations take various forms beyond monetary compensation, including infrastructure development and unconditional grants. She referenced existing frameworks like “the 1993 Abuja Proclamation, the 2001 Durban Declaration, and the Accra Declaration on Liberations,” noting that policy solutions already exist but require better implementation.
The dialogue, moderated by Felister Gitonga, Gender Justice Lead at Oxfam in Africa, concluded with a powerful call to action urging African nations to ratify, domesticate, and implement the Convention on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls as a crucial step toward creating a more just society that places African women and girls at the heart of the continental agenda.
The initiative aims to spark a movement challenging patriarchal systems while prioritizing survivor-centered justice approaches across Africa.
