In a world where gender equality remains both a global priority and a persistent challenge, Action for Development (ACFODE) is steadfast in ensuring that leaders and influencers have not only the knowledge but also the confidence to stand as champions for change both online and in-person.
For over four decades, ACFODE has witnessed first-hand the power of equipping people with the right tools, skills, and mindset to lead inclusively. We understand that leadership for gender equality cannot be a one-size-fits-all approach. That’s why our training programmes are carefully designed from our rich experiences and those of our vibrant membership base and expert resource persons, ensuring they are effective, customized, and deeply relevant to the realities our participants face.
Our work reaches far beyond traditional classrooms. We target a varied range of change-makers, including technical and political leaders, public administrators, civil society leaders, social media influencers, private sector actors, cooperative leaders, and ambitious young women and men. Through dynamic debates, mentoring, and coaching, we help these individuals sharpen their leadership abilities while grounding them in gender equality principles.
Many of those who have participated in ACFODE’s training workshops have become active champions of gender equality within their institutions, communities, and beyond. Leaders have formed caucuses within councils, strategically using their platforms for lobbying and advocacy. And in one of our most innovative approaches, we involve the spouses of women elected leaders in our sessions. This has helped them not only understand the unique responsibilities and challenges faced by their partners in politics but also encouraged them to become strong allies in their spouses’ leadership journeys. In digital spaces, our beneficiaries are breaking stereotypes and amplifying voices that would otherwise be silenced. Offline, they are shifting mindsets, influencing policies, and building coalitions for a more equitable future.
Through mentorship, expert advisory services, and capacity-building, ACFODE is not just training leaders; we are cultivating a ripple effect of empowered voices, each carrying the torch of gender equality into new territories. Because when leaders, both women and men, truly understand and embrace the principles of equality, the transformation does not stop with them. It spreads into institutions, communities, and generations to come.