The 12th Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAC) Network Young Women’s Advocacy Training and the 6th GIMAC Strategic Engagement with the African Union (AU), Regional Economic Communities (RECs), and Partners took place from 13 – 15 July 2024, in Accra, Ghana. These pivotal events align with the African Union’s theme for the year, “Building resilient education systems for increased access to inclusive, lifelong, quality, and relevant learning in Africa.”
Building on the foundation set by the 40th GIMAC Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) Pre-Summit Meeting in February 2024, the 6th GIMAC AU-RECs Meeting provided a platform for CSOs and various stakeholders to accelerate efforts towards achieving gender equality in education across Africa. The 40th Pre-Summit meeting’s outcome statement highlighted the urgent need for political, social, and economic commitments to rethink the purpose and content of education for a transformative impact fit for the 21st Century.
The meetings therefore focused on developing strategies to enhance equitable access to quality education for marginalized groups, including girls, women, youth, people with disabilities, and children in emergencies and conflict contexts. This was achieved by identifying barriers to access and implementing targeted interventions.
Ms. Lwandile Moyo, ACCORD’s Programme Officer, moderated the panel session titled “How can we translate policy promises into tangible improvements in girls’ education across Africa?” The discussions highlighted the importance of data-driven approaches, effective models, strategic investments, and collaborative efforts in promoting gender equality in education.
ACCORD’s Coordinator of Programmes, Ms Marisha Ramdeen presented on the outcomes of the peace and security cluster pre-consultation meeting and guided the official closing ceremony of the three-day event in ACCORD’s role as vice chairperson of the GIMAC network.
During the ceremony, FAWE presented the outcome statement of the three-day meeting. Among the recommendations was a call to strengthen the resilience of education systems by significantly increasing investment in peace education; the Women, Peace, and Security agenda; and the maintenance of safe and accessible schools. Additionally, there is a need to prioritise the integration of peace education, conflict prevention, and resolution at all levels of the curriculum while ensuring equal representation and decision-making power for youth, who comprise 75% of Africa’s population.
Remarks were also delivered by Dr. Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda, Deputy Executive Director for Normative Support, UN System Coordination and Programme Results; and Ms. Prudence Ngwenya, Director of the AUC Women, Gender and Youth Directorate. This meeting marked a significant step forward for women-led CSOs and various stakeholders in the pursuit of educational gender equality in Africa. The collaborative efforts and commitments made during these meetings are expected to drive tangible improvements in educational access and quality for marginalised groups across the continent. ACCORD’s substantive contributions through engaging key practitioners to share key lessons contributes to efforts that aim to shape the discussions on peace education for the continent.
