Africa Leadership Foundation Launches First Pan-African Gender Budgeting Network

In a move to strengthen gender equality and inclusive governance across Africa, the Africa Leadership Foundation (ALF) has launched the African Gender Budgeting Network (AGEBUN) — the first-ever Pan-African platform dedicated to advancing gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) and inclusive fiscal policy across the continent.

ALF is a non-governmental organisation dedicated to promoting leadership, good governance, and sustainable development across Africa.

The AGEBUN was conceptualised by ALF following insights from its previous gender programmes, which underscored the need for a sustained, cross-border platform linking practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and advocates beyond one-off engagements.

The initiative’s urgency was further reinforced by recommendations from the June 2025 Regional Advocacy Workshop on Gender-Responsive Budgeting, organised by ALF, which drew over 600 gender machineries, equality experts, and advocates from 31 African countries.

Launched on 17 September 2025, the network is a collaborative initiative between ALF, UN Women, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (AUC-WGYD), and Oxfam in Africa (OiA). The event marked a milestone in Africa’s ongoing efforts to institutionalise gender-responsive budgeting as a standard practice in national and regional fiscal systems.

Delivering the opening remarks, Dr. Olumide Ajayi, Executive Director of the Africa Leadership Foundation, reaffirmed ALF’s commitment to embedding inclusivity in governance and economic planning.

“Gender-responsive budgeting is not new to Africa, but it remains underutilised due to limited knowledge, weak capacity, and misconceptions. AGEBUN was established to bridge these gaps through knowledge sharing, peer learning, and coordinated advocacy — equipping practitioners and policymakers with the tools needed to make fiscal systems truly inclusive,” he said.

The launch featured remarks from high-level representatives, including Mr. Paul Vingi (Interim Gender Justice Lead, Oxfam in Africa); Mme. Cleopatra Hurungo (Regional Advisor and Gender Team Leader, UNDP Africa); Mme. Keiso Matashane-Marite (Chief, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, UNECA, represented by Mme. Judith Beatrice Auma Oduol); Mme. Prudence Ngwenya (Director, AUC-WGYD, represented by Ms. Ilwad Elmi Mohammed); and Mme. Doris Mpoumou, Special Representative of UN Women to the African Union.

Officially inaugurating the network, Mme. Mpoumpou hailed the initiative as “a transformative platform that will ensure fiscal policies reflect the lived realities of African women, men, and youth.”

“Budgets are not just technical tools — they are political statements about what societies value,” she said. “AGEBUN provides a platform to ensure our fiscal choices represent the priorities of all Africans.”

According to the Africa Gender Index 2023 Analytical Report, produced by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and UNECA, women’s economic parity in Africa declined from 61% in 2019 to 58.2% in 2023, reflecting widening gaps in employment, income, and access to productive resources. The report calls for African governments to institutionalise gender-responsive budgeting as a key strategy for inclusive growth and sustainable development.

The establishment of AGEBUN aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG 5: Gender Equality and SDG 16: Inclusive Institutions) and the African Union’s Agenda 2063, particularly Aspiration 6 and Goal 17, which call for full gender equality and women’s empowerment as cornerstones of Africa’s transformation.

Since its launch, AGEBUN has attracted over 250 registered members from 32 African countries, forming a dynamic community of practitioners, policymakers, and advocates. The network aims to serve as an advocacy hub, knowledge-sharing platform, and collaborative space for strengthening gender-responsive budgeting implementation and policy reform across Africa.

With the continued partnership of UN Women, UNDP, UNECA, the AUC-WGYD, Oxfam in Africa, and other development stakeholders, AGEBUN is poised to become a continental cornerstone for inclusive fiscal governance — ensuring that every national budget reflects the realities, priorities, and aspirations of all Africans.