Over 1,000 to attend 2025 African Women in Dialogue meeting in South Africa
By Jeffrey Agbo
The highly anticipated African Women in Dialogue (AfWID) meeting will bring together over 1,000 women from across the continent from January 27 to 31, 2025 in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The meeting will bring voices across the African region and across age groups including women who participated at the WCW 1995 (Beijing Veterans) to review progress made since 1995.
The dialogue will review the critical areas of concern identified in 1995 (BPFA) highlighting progress made, gains and achievements. It will also review the challenges and constraints on the advancement of African women, prospects for increased future advancements and positive changes.
Mama Zanele Mbeki conceptualised AFWID. She observed that marginalised and oppressed women had nowhere to lend their voices and she was of the opinion that every woman irrespective of background had something to offer too, thus the birth of AFWID.
The weeklong all-expense paid dialogue creates a platform for over 1,000 women drawn from the 55 countries in Africa to come together in one space and share ideas to address the continuous challenges African women face. AFWID 2025 is convened by the Women’s Development Business Trust (WDB Trust) founded in 1991 to empower women and rural communities.
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Nigeria would fully be represented by 16 participants drawn from different backgrounds and led by Dr. Chinyere Chukwudebelu, member of the Steering Committee for AFWID 2025, Coordinator for Nigeria and Regional Leader Anglophone/ Lusophone West Africa.
The confirmed attendees from Nigeria said they were excited to have been selected for this auspicious and monumental meeting where they will interact with sisters across the African region, their voices heard, contributions made, discussed, noted and documented. Participants within the age brackets of 18 to 40 will be in the same space with women who attended the Beijing conference and have opportunity for intergenerational dialogue.
The attendees said they were looking forward to meaningful discussions, recommendations especially around the 12 Beijing critical areas of concern for advancement of women.
The gathering comes ahead of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) scheduled for March in New York. It celebrates the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPFA) established at the Fourth World Conference on Women in 1995.
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