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.

Call for Applications

 

Africa Liberal Women Empowerment Programme

 

Managed by the Africa Liberal Network (ALN) with the support of Liberal International, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for freedom, the Liberal Democrats, VVD International, D66 International and the Westminster Foundation for Democracy.

 

Location: Hybrid (online and in person – dependent on COVID-19 and international travel regulations)

Africa Liberal Network (ALN) Secretariat Headquarters: Johannesburg, South Africa

Duration: May – December 2021

 

The Africa Liberal Network (ALN) is the alliance family of liberal democratic political parties operating in Africa. The network is an associate regional organisation of Liberal International and is the largest liberal political alliance on the continent, bringing together parties with common liberal, democratic and progressive ideas and operating in more than 30 countries. Its role is to strengthen the liberal democratic political parties, movements, organisations, networks, think-tanks and individuals throughout Africa while defining a common political vision to be communicated effectively to communities on the continent.

 

The Johannesburg-based Secretariat of the Africa Liberal Network (ALN) manages all network related activities, programmes and communication with all stakeholders.

 

The network’s mission is to support and empower political parties, movements, organisations, networks, think-tanks and individuals to grow their support and increase their influence in politics and implement policies of good governance and uphold the rule of law in government.

 

Diversity and inclusion is a priority for the Africa Liberal Network, thus the network launches the Africa Liberal Women Empowerment Programme, in collaboration with our member parties and strategic partners.

 

The Africa Liberal Women Empowerment Programme supports the advocacy of the UN Women, seeks to resuscitate the objectives outlined in the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (Maputo Protocol), commits to the ideals of the Beijing Declaration and advocates to advance the objectives of the Africa Liberal Network’s Nairobi 2017 Declaration.

 

 

 

 

The Africa Liberal Women Empowerment Programme will be pursued as a two (2) pronged approach regional empowerment programme for women and the political parties they are members of.

Statement of Work: Promoting participatory democracy through women inclusion.

1. Women: these are eligible members of political parties, in good standing. They are candidates intending to contest an internal position within their political party’s national decision-making structure, like the Federal (National) Executive. They can also be intending to contest a representative role in public office in a local or national government structure, like the city council, county assembly, constituency leader and member of parliament. They can also be intending to contest elected executive decision roles within regional organisations and institutions. All applicants to the programme must be endorsed by the respective political party federal (national) leader, chairperson, president or the federal (national) secretary general. All endorsements are understood by the programme managers as agreement that the programme applicant is to be considered to the programme, as a representative of her political party.

 

2. Political party: all political parties of successful applicants are automatically successful to benefit from the programme. These are political parties who value human rights, the inclusion and support of women, gender parity and the impact that these principles have on the nature and levels of women’s participation in active politics and leadership in general. The political parties would benefit from strategic workshops with international and qualified knowledge experts in the fields of including and supporting more women in decision making, election campaign strategies, micro and macro prospect voter targeting, communication & marketing and exclusive fundraising & networking.

 

All independent candidates will be assessed according to the political context of the country of origin or contestation. Participation in the programme is FREE of charge.

 

 

 

 

What you and your political party can gain from the programme:

 

Objective 1: To equip and develop active women to engage in political and civic leadership across all sectors at the local, national and international level. To encourage and enable women to contribute their views and vision in an informed, effective and meaningful way.

 

Objective 2: To engage inclusive political parties and their leading decision makers.

 

• Support active women to advance to their next level: the programme empowers women and political parties to play a more impactful role in their nation’s efforts to stabilise democracy and evolve responsive governance;

 

• Encourage women leaders: the programme aims to empower active women to ascend to decision making portfolios in order to bring in diverse perspectives at decision making platforms and to aim at improving gender balanced representation in political party leadership structures and in legislatures (public office);

 

• Evolve the capacity of women leaders: through targeted career guidance and life coaching, the programme invests in the women’s natural talents and unique abilities to generate effective and sustainable policy proposals and monitor their inputs and implementation;

 

• Initiate a link between political party candidate selection processes and programme alumni: through the programme, initiate a bridge to negotiate policies and structural processes for candidate selection within inclusive political parties.

 

 

Programme Outline:

• Four (4) empowerment workshops covering a range of leadership empowerment methodologies, to provide all the critical skills and knowledge necessary to successfully campaign. These include: political ideology, democratic institutions/ legislature, advocacy/ issue driving, personal leadership and building your story, public speaking, social media, traditional media, personal branding, fundraising, organization and volunteer management, data, research and voter targeting;
• One (1) Africa-Europe exchange workshop initiated by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for freedom;
• Facilitated workshops with key decision makers in liberal political parties;
• Each successful participant to pursue an individual development project, during May – December 2021. This can be tailored around an identified issue in your community, country or political party;
• One (1) graduation and certification workshop at the end of the programme, in December 2021 (all elements of the programme must be completed, in order to graduate from the programme).

 

 

Who is eligeable to apply:

1. Active members of the Africa Liberal Network member parties;
2. You will be contesting an election during 2022 – 2024;
3. First time and returning aspirants who are committed to contest an elected position;
4. Ability to work in English or French;
5. Committed to initiate and lead an issue driving individual development project during 2021;
6. You’re Between the age of 25 – 55 years.

Application Process:

1. Complete the application form in English or French;
2. e-Mail a clear face picture of yourself;
3. e-Mail a biography of yourself (500 words);
4. e-Mail your updated resume (3 pages);
5. e-Mail a copy of your valid passport;
6. e-Mail an endorsement support letter signed by your political party federal (national) leader, chairperson, president or the federal (national) secretary general;
7. Submit your application and accompanying documents by 23:59 GMT of 4 April 2021.

 

What is expected from successful participants?

 

During the programme:

• Fully commit to and engage with all elements of the programme;
• Manage, report and complete the individual development project;
• Be available to learn and discover your personal leadership style. Be open to pursue challenges, open to new ideas and internalize knowledge.

 

After graduating:

• When called upon, be available as a co-facilitator for future programmes;
• When called upon, be available to advise the future of the programme;
• Be available for peer-to-peer exchange programmes;
• Become an active participant of the alumni network and to share knowledge and experience where appropriate, as well as keeping the network informed about your successes and achievements.

 

 

Contact Person:

Coordinator: Africa Liberal Network (ALN)
Name: Nangamso Kwinana
Mobile: +27 73 707 8513
e-Mail: nangamso.kwinana@africaliberalnetwork.org

Apply HERE: http://bit.ly/3cM9OJk

 

#ALNwomen