Happy Womens Day
Joint statement by the Innovation for Democracy Foundation and the Women’s Community on the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day
March 2025
Of all the inequalities that mark our societies and stand in the way of the emergence of peaceful communities rich in creativity, the most serious consequences are those that affect women. Women are subjected to political, economic and cultural structures that deprive them of their own voice, block their autonomy and prevent our nations from realising their full potential and taking their rightful place in the world.
On the occasion of International Women’s Rights Day, whose theme this year is “For all women and girls: rights, equality and empowerment“, the Innovation Foundation for Democracy and the Community of Women are joining forces to reaffirm their commitment to the struggles for equality, rights and empowerment of women and girls on our continent.
This commitment manifests itself in several ways. Firstly, it takes the form of our own involvement in the daily struggles for subsistence, well-being and dignity, in all areas of our lives, within our families, our grassroots communities and in the community networks to which we belong. Through these often invisible struggles and everyday actions, the women and girls of Africa are standing up, rejecting victimhood and confronting all those who seek to undermine their rights and freedoms, their professional skills, their self-esteem and their dignity.
We are also committed to increasing the number of talking and caring circles in our homes and workplaces, as well as creative spaces where our voices and stories can be heard. We are convinced that our continent will not get far without women’s voices being heard. Within the talking and caring circles, the women of Africa want to support each other, share their know-how and regain their self-confidence and self-esteem.
Empowering women also means supporting, including financially, small groups and initiatives that are emblematic of innovation and social creativity in our communities. This is particularly true of initiatives that promote material autonomy and self-sufficiency. It’s also the case with training centres and educational courses aimed at developing truly feminist political leadership. Women’s access to positions of power must be reflected in a profound transformation of power, the way it is exercised and its aims.
We reaffirm our commitment to the creation of a heritage, a living archive of the values that have fuelled women’s struggles throughout our history. Our continent will scarcely be able to recover its full sovereignty without a new political ethic. It must be founded on virtues and dispositions such as determination and resilience, sharing, empathy and solidarity, gentleness, tact and beauty. Above all, it must be founded on the values of care, those that sustain the forces of life and contribute to the repair of the Earth.
The struggles of women and girls in Africa for equality and autonomy require the decolonisation of knowledge, including feminist knowledge. In order to abolish patriarchal structures and transform culture, we need to change the forms and content of knowledge and open it up to all. To invent new tools for action that are conducive to our emancipation, it is crucial to invest in training and to support a new cycle of feminist research in Africa. It is by developing new conceptions of knowledge, research and learning that we will pave the way for other ways of inhabiting the world and reshaping our lives.
International Women’s Rights Day has a special resonance on our continent. It is a reminder of the courageous struggles of African women and girls for equality. From the struggles for independence and self-determination to contemporary campaigns against gender-based violence, African women have always been at the forefront. Their voices, their knowledge and expertise, and their skills are needed more than ever as our continent tries to carve out a path for itself in the whirlwind of the world.
This day is also an opportunity to pay tribute to the African heroines who have lit our paths and left their mark on history, be they artists, intellectuals, businesswomen, political leaders, activists or ordinary women in civil society. This is why, from 14 to 17 May 2025, we will be holding a major international symposium in Dakar (Senegal), entitled La démocratie au féminin. In tribute to Madame Fatou Sow.
Women’s rights are at the heart of the universal principles of social justice and human dignity. They are priceless. Gender equality is not just an objective, but the essential foundation of any democratic and prosperous society, which values every life and every voice, and makes room for each and every person.
Today, more than ever, it is crucial that we strengthen our actions by building on our collective intelligence, by enhancing our shared heritage, by drawing on the energy of the younger generations, the knowledge of our territories and the memories of our communities.
This is how the power of women will be unleashed, and how Africa will proudly chart its course in a world that we must build together.
Signatories :
DICKO Adam
Executive Director AJCAD
POUYE Seynabou
Social Entrepreneur
AROUKOUN Arlande
Coordinator of the Nord-Portes de l’Europe laboratory of the Fondation de Innovation for Democracy.
SECK Ndeye Bouba
Coordinator
NDIAYE Ndeye Astou
Teacher-researcher
NTSATSIESSE Flore
Programme Assistant at the North Gateways to Europe Laboratory of Innovation for Democracy Foundation
MAMADOU-VEHI Sita Audrey Flore
Entrepreneur
AKRASSI Emmanuelle
Activist, Doctoral student in political science
MAKADI NGOY Ange
Head of communications
ABOFLAN Mona Léa
Employee
EL MENZHI Fadwa
President and co-founder of the Thysia cooperative
DIOUF Selbe
Feminist activist artist
GNINGUE Rokhaya
Head of monitoring and evaluation
KENGUÉ Ifrikia
Consultant
TCHAMDJA Amida
Executive Director of the NGO APRODIFE
MOHAMADOU BACHIROU Fadimatou
Humanitarian/Journalist
MBALA ATANGANA Epse BABA Françoise
Coordinator of the NGO AFFADA
MAIGA Lalaicha
Gender and Protection Adviser