ABANTU for Development is an international women's

non-governmental organisation A non-governmental organization (NGO) or non-governmental organisation (see American and British English spelling differences#-ise, -ize (-isation, -ization), spelling differences) is an organization that generally is formed independent from g ...

. It seeks to empower African women in the fields of politics and the economy on the local, national, regional and international levels. It pursues these goals by educating through workshops, research, publishing and consultations. ABANTU attracts international attention through its offices in

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, where it was founded in 1991 by African women. Its other offices are in

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

Tanzania Tanzania (; ), officially the United Republic of Tanzania ( sw, Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania), is a country in East Africa within the African Great Lakes region. It borders Uganda to the north; Kenya to the northeast; Comoro Islands and ...

Ghana Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...

, and

Nigeria Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...

. ABANTU has a special consultative status with the

United Nations Economic and Social Council The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC; french: links=no, Conseil économique et social des Nations unies, ) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations, responsible for coordinating the economic and social fields ...

(ECOSOC).

Organisation

international non-governmental organisation An international non-governmental organization (INGO) is an organization which is independent of government involvement and extends the concept of a non-governmental organization (NGO) to an international scope. NGOs are independent of government ...

(INGO), ABANTU was founded in 1991 in

by African women, including its future director Wanjiru Kihoro. The name ''Abantu'' means "people" in many

African languages The languages of Africa are divided into several major language families: * Niger–Congo or perhaps Atlantic–Congo languages (includes Bantu and non-Bantu, and possibly Mande and others) are spoken in West, Central, Southeast and Southern A ...

. Its present-day main offices are in London,

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...

;

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city proper ha ...

Kenya ) , national_anthem = "Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu"() , image_map = , map_caption = , image_map2 = , capital = Nairobi , coordinates = , largest_city = Nairobi , ...

; and

. The regional office for

West Africa West Africa or Western Africa is the westernmost region of Africa. The United Nations defines Western Africa as the 16 countries of Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Ivory Coast, Liberia, Mali, Maurit ...

is located in

Accra Accra (; tw, Nkran; dag, Ankara; gaa, Ga or ''Gaga'') is the capital and largest city of Ghana, located on the southern coast at the Gulf of Guinea, which is part of the Atlantic Ocean. As of 2021 census, the Accra Metropolitan District, , ...

(Regional Programme Manager

Rose Mensah-Kutin Dr Rose Mensah-Kutin (born 22 November 1955) is a Ghanaian gender advocate and professional journalist. As of October 2016, she is the West Africa Regional director for ABANTU for Development. Early life She was born and raised in Brofoyedru, a to ...

); and there is a branch office in

. ABANTU is an umbrella organisation for many smaller organisations. It works by formalising pre-existing local and domestic networks of women and turning them into a political force. ABANTU has a special consultative status with the

(ECOSOC). It is also part of Gender Action on Climate Change for Equality and Sustainability. ABANTU has also collaborated with the

United Nations Economic Commission for Africa The United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA or ECA; french: link=no, Commission économique pour l'Afrique, CEA) was established in 1958 by the United Nations Economic and Social Council to encourage economic cooperation among its ...

and the

Organisation of African Unity The Organisation of African Unity (OAU; french: Organisation de l'unité africaine, OUA) was an intergovernmental organization established on 25 May 1963 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, with 32 signatory governments. One of the main heads for OAU's ...

. Although ABANTU maintains links with non-African organisations, its focus is on maintaining indigenous control. Its status in the ECOSOC and central offices in London have contributed to success in attaining donors. In Africa, it is particularly known in the West African region.

Goals

ABANTU pursues to empower African women as decision makers on the local, national, regional and international levels. It seeks to increase women's participation in both politics and the economy, and erase political, legal and cultural barriers to women's equal standing before the law and their economic independence. Mobilizing women to further

sustainable development Sustainable development is an organizing principle for meeting human development goals while also sustaining the ability of natural systems to provide the natural resources and ecosystem services on which the economy and society depend. The des ...

in Africa is also on its agenda. The organisation has identified four areas of key interest:

gender and poverty Gender inequality is the social phenomenon in which men and women are not treated equally. The treatment may arise from distinctions regarding biology, psychology, or cultural norms prevalent in the society. Some of these distinctions are empir ...

, gender and conflict, gender and governance, and gender and information and communication technologies. Although ABANTU focuses on women, it holds a view that pursuing women's interests is equally beneficial to men.

Activities

ABANTU uses three primary methods to reach its goals: training and capacity building; research, publication and communications; and advocacy, public awareness and networking. ABANTU has more than 500 trainers from its workshops in Africa and the United Kingdom. These trainers conduct gender and policy analysis and host workshops in their countries on themes such as

gender stereotypes A gender role, also known as a sex role, is a social role encompassing a range of behaviors and attitudes that are generally considered acceptable, appropriate, or desirable for a person based on that person's sex. Gender roles are usually cente ...

social change Social change is the alteration of the social order of a society which may include changes in social institutions, social behaviours or social relations. Definition Social change may not refer to the notion of social progress or sociocult ...

climate change In common usage, climate change describes global warming—the ongoing increase in global average temperature—and its effects on Earth's climate system. Climate change in a broader sense also includes previous long-term changes to E ...

and support of

HIV The human immunodeficiency viruses (HIV) are two species of ''Lentivirus'' (a subgroup of retrovirus) that infect humans. Over time, they cause acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS), a condition in which progressive failure of the immune ...

-infected workers. ABANTU employs

adult learning Adult education, distinct from child education, is a practice in which adults engage in systematic and sustained self-educating activities in order to gain new forms of knowledge, skills, attitudes, or values. Merriam, Sharan B. & Brockett, Ralp ...

techniques and recognises that men and women learn differently. In addition to workshops, it organises seminars, forums on public policy and consultations with policy makers and other women's organisations. It has, for instance, produced a manual on taking women into account in budgeting in Africa that was chosen for a trial-run, and participated in the drafting of the

Women's Manifesto for Ghana The Women's Manifesto for Ghana is a political statement by Ghanaian women demanding rights and equality. The statement was issued in 2004 and continues to influence feminist organizing in Ghana. Background The Manifesto came out of increased wome ...

. ABANTU's series of Gender and Poverty Hearings in

Eastern Eastern may refer to: Transportation *China Eastern Airlines, a current Chinese airline based in Shanghai *Eastern Air, former name of Zambia Skyways *Eastern Air Lines, a defunct American airline that operated from 1926 to 1991 *Eastern Air Li ...

and

Southern Africa Southern Africa is the southernmost subregion of the African continent, south of the Congo and Tanzania. The physical location is the large part of Africa to the south of the extensive Congo River basin. Southern Africa is home to a number of ...

have contributed to transparency of government policies. ABANTU publishes research reports and ''ABANTU News'', a quarterly newsletter on a wide range of topics, such as health practices,

sexual assault Sexual assault is an act in which one intentionally sexually touches another person without that person's consent, or coerces or physically forces a person to engage in a sexual act against their will. It is a form of sexual violence, which ...

and women's issues in elections. The organisation also hosts its own radio programme, ''Gender Forum''. ABANTU's research has highlighted the gendered nature of armed conflict, development policy and the effects of climate change.

References

External links

Official website
of the regional office for West Africa (Ghana)
Official website
of the Nigerian branch office {{authority control 1991 establishments in England International organizations based in Africa International organisations based in London Gender studies organizations Women's organizations based in Africa Women's organisations based in England

Organisation

Goals

Activities

See also

References

External links