#ALNwomen 2020 Graduate

The Africa Liberal Network is proud to announce the graduation of the alumni, who participated in the 2020 Women’s Leadership Programme. This is a total of 15 women, representing member parties of the Africa Liberal Network in Senegal, Kenya, Ghana, Morocco, Sierre Leone, Burkina Faso, Somalia, Tanzania and Zambia.

The graduates of 2020 join the 2019 graduates and together, they make up a collective of 30 politically active women who have been developed by the network and our strategic partners, to campaign, contest and win elections internally in political parties and in public office.

On Tuesday 18 May, the #ALNwomen 2020 graduation culminated in all alumni, presenting their year-long individual development projects. A panel of 5 members individually scored each alumni’s presentation according to the content and the impact of the project.

The three (3) highest scoring graduates were Stenah Shampile from Zambia, Nereah Amondi Oketch from Kenya and Nadifa Osman from Somalia.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In his opening remarks of the graduation ceremony, Gilbert Noël Ouédraogo – in his capacity as President of the Africa Liberal Network said:

“As you all are aware, we are still battling with overcoming the health risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. And it is for that reason, that we have not been able to convene this graduation ceremony in person.

Indeed, I am absolutely thrilled to be amongst all of you, on this very important occasion, as our 2020 Women’s Leadership Programme alumni present their individual leadership projects and thereafter graduate from the programme.

May I start by congratulating each and every one, for your continued commitment in the programme. I am aware that when the pandemic broke out in March 2020, the programme was amended and pursued online and all of you committed to 15 online workshops during weekends and continued to also connect in private one on one sessions with trainers and support experts. Thank you for committing to the cause.

I wish to also express gratitude to the Liberal Democrats and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, for making your online participation possible, by supporting each participant with a laptop and allowance for your access to data and the internet.

In my capacity as the President of the Africa Liberal Network, I look forward to our continued collaborations, to advance the inclusion of women in key decision-making roles and certainly in leading our communities and countries to development.

• Recognising, the Africa Liberal Network and our member parties have an important responsibility to continue to support you on your political journeys and recognising the contributions you will each make to your communities, your political parties and the network at large
• The Africa Liberal Network will continue to engage with each of you in programmes of diversity and inclusion, similar to the one we convened recently on 13 & 14 March, which was facilitated by Lidia Rauch of Bloom Enterprise. We look forward to bringing together, the #ALNwomen alumni of 2019 & 2020, to be the mentors and pillars of support to the 2021 Women Empowerment Programme participants, whom we will be meeting this week on Thursday 20 May & Friday 21 May 2021With you all, the network may access insights and guidance regarding the advancement of the sustainable development goal number 5, which seeks to achieve the human right of gender equality and empower all women and girls

• Together, we may consult the member parties of the Africa Liberal Network, to negotiate minimum standards for including and supporing more women through candidate selection processes and electoral colleges

Lastly, I wish to express gratitude to all the trainers, facilitators and experts, who have supported the programme with imparting skills to our 2020 graduates.

 

Thank you to you all.

Congratulations to the class of 2020!”

 

 

Gilbert Noël Ouédraogo and the Executive Committee of the network, continued to welcome the 15 participants of the revised Africa Liberal Women Empowerment Programme on Thursday 20 May 2021, where they were joined by the Secretary Generals of the member political parties and the expanded programme partners: the Africa Liberal Network (ALN), Liberal International, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for freedom, the Liberal Democrats, VVD International, D66 International and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.