Gender Development

What's on this page?

On this page you will find information on our work in the Gender and Women Empowerment Programme, including achievements and progress so far.

What is the NEPAD Spanish Fund for African Women Empowerment?

The NEPAD Spanish Fund for African Women Empowerment was created in 2007 following the signing of a memorandum of understanding between NEPAD and the government of Spain. The Spanish Fund contributes to the eradication of poverty and the economic empowerment of women through financial and technical assistance to projects that support gender equality and the improvement of women's economic, political and social empowerment.

The programme works towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals in Africa by 2015 and considers gender equity, equality and women's empowerment as a pre-condition to sustainable growth and development.

Key areas supported by the Spanish Fund include education, health, promotion of economic fabric as well as social and political participation, with a particular emphasis on sub-Saharan Africa.

The agreement with the Spanish government runs for five years and is worth 50 million euros.

The primary areas of intervention are:

- Women's economic empowerment;
- Strengthening civil society and community-based organisations;
- Strengthening institutions.

What's happening in the programme?

At the third steering committee meeting held in April 2008 a total of 46 projects from 23 sub-Saharan countries were approved for funding. These organisation focus on women's empowerment issues including occupational skills, the development of income generating schemes, assisting women to be food secure, research and knowledge development, access to financing schemes, eradicating gender-based violence, access to HIV prevention, promoting girls' education, enhancing leadership skills, welfare assistance, ICT skills and environmental issues. To date 25 projects have ended, eighteen are ongoing, one is stopped and two have pending issues.

- The BIAWE Initiative

The NEPAD Spanish Fund is in the process of financing a pilot project, a business incubator for African women entrepreneurs (BIAWE) programme in East and Southern Africa (Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa - COMESA) and West Africa (Economic Community Of West African States - ECOWAS).

- Global and regional participation

Representatives of the programme have played a significant role in highlighting women's issues at both regional and global conferences and forums, including:

• The Gender Advisor participated in the Beijing +15 reviews meeting held in Banjul in November 2009.
• The Gender Unit organised a panel during the United Nation's CSW 2010 in New York aimed to creating a dialogue on areas of concern identified at Beijing +15.

• The Gender Advisor represented the NEPAD Planning and Co-ordinating Agency (NEPAD Agency) at the regional consultative meeting on the Africa wide campaign to end violence against women and girls, organised by UNIFEM Southern Region Office.

What progress has been made so far?
Through funded projects, as detailed above, significant progress towards the programme's objectives has been achieved, including:

• An increased number of women and girls trained in economically viable vocational skills such as ICT, leather making, needlework, baking, catering, brick making and others, including more than 2 000 trained in Kenya, Namibia, and Ethiopia.

• The creation of employment opportunities, through public-private partnerships, that have seen 72 people find employment in Gambia, Ethiopia and Kenya.
• Improved income-generating activities for women through support in agro-processing (45 machines), sub-awards (53 women), and business management training (600 women entrepreneurs in several countries including Kenya, Mali, Namibia, DRC, Angola and Mozambique).

• Successful projects such as a tourism venture being run by women of a small community on Inhaca Island in Mozambique. So far three travel tours from South Africa have been arranged.

• An increased number of women receiving agricultural assistance to boost production and promote food security. 7,456 women (including women groups) in Gambia and Malawi received agricultural inputs (fertilizer and seeds) to boost production, for example.

• Increased research on issues affecting women entrepreneurs: Nine research studies have been carried out on challenges facing women entrepreneurs in Ethiopia and Senegal to inform policy and programme development. In Ethiopia a tangible result of this is a Women's Bank (Enat Bank) being established.
• Microcredit schemes have been set up in Kenya, Liberia, Angola, Niger, Senegal, Ghana and Sierra Leone to provide women with access to loans for establishing small businesses.

• An increased number of women and men have been reached with HIV and health services, including 360 women and men trained as community educators on HIV prevention in Niger.

• Increased awareness on gender-based violence and creation of mechanisms to address gender-based violence. 1,637 women and 271 men have been trained in gender-based violence awareness and prevention in Kenya and Namibia. Two safe houses have been constructed in Liberia. In Angola 308 women and men have been sensitised through their participation in the "16 days of activism on domestic violence". In Cape Verde the fund is supporting the National Plan against Domestic Violence, media campaigns on TV and radio have been produced. In both countries, a Draft Bill Law against Domestic Violence has been drafted and is in the process of approval by their respective governments.

• Increased educational support for girls to remain in school: 310 pupils in 31 primary schools and surrounding communities reached with formulated school improvement plans to address some of the challenges facing girls within primary schools in Malawi.

• Skills development for women leaders in business and civil society: 300 women business leaders in Mali trained in leadership and entrepreneurship skills, 120 women leaders from civil society organisations in South Africa trained in leadership and management skills.
• Increased number of women receiving welfare assistance and post-conflict reconstruction: 145 women from refugee camps in rural provinces in Burundi received blankets and mats and 540 women from ultra-poor households received clothes, foodstuffs, basins and soap.

• Increased number of women and girls with capacity to use ICTs. Digital Gap: 70 young girls trained in ICT skills in Niger and three rural women groups in Uganda.

• Increase women's participation in natural resources management: 5,000 women mobilised in Rwanda to participate in re-forestation efforts in protected areas around Volcanoes National Park to plant 773,650 trees.

Who is leading the programme?

The NEPAD Spanish Fund is a component of the NPCA Gender programme. It is supervised by the head of the gender programme and administrated by the technical management team

The NEPAD/Spanish Fund Technical Management Team is led by: 

Mrs. Ndeye Rosalie Lo
Tel: +27 (0)11 256 3658
Email: RosalieL@nepad.org