Key achievement towards Gender

Major results and capacity building 

  • 4 Gender tools have been developed to ensure the institutionalization of gender in WAAPP i.e. for gender integration in projects, procedures, and the overall governance system;
  • WAAPP regional projects have been screened;
  • 19 women et 11 men among the National Coordinators and National Gender Focal Point trained on gender and provided with tools to mainstream gender in WAAPP various projects and activities;
  • 13 Countries Gender Action Plans developed and validated at the National level ;
  • 13 Gender Focal Persons set up;

Leadership and scientific capacity of female researchers in West and Central Africa throughout the African Women in Agricultural Research and Development-AWARD Francophone Fellowship built

 

Strengthening scientific capacity and leadership of women researchers is a challenge that WAAPP committed to address. While the AWARD initiative was implemented only in Anglophone countries, in collaboration with the program and Agropolis Fondation, the West African Agricultural Productivity program (WAAPP), contributed to support the pilot phase of AWARD for francophone female researchers.  5 Women fellows, 5 mentors, and 5 mentees from Cameroon, Senegal, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali, have been selected for two years fellowship, in March 2013. In terms of outcomes, the scientific and leadership capacity of the fellows was built, and the 5 francophone AWARD got access to decision-making positions in their respective Agricultural Research and Development Institutions. 

The gender policy note of "Promoting Regional Trade in Meat and Livestock- related Products in West and Central Africa" Initiative elaborated

The policy note presents the productive organization shaping the gender division of labor, and a screening of the scope of women’s decision-making power in livestock sector. It sheds light the gender disparities in access to livestock productive resources for women and youth, and the impacts on their socio-economic empowerment. The note ends with strong recommendations for a gender responsive regional trade in meat and livestock related products in West and Central Africa, such as formal and informal trainings for women and youth on production and processing of livestock related products, as well as the development and the implementation of gender responsive national and regional policy regulations, to ensure sustainable development and contributions of livestock sector in food sovereignty in West and Central Africa. 

Outcome

  • 1 Gender Policy Note developed and adopted by ECOWAS and ECCAS regional decision makers during the high level meeting in May 2015 in Ndjamena, to consider gender integration in the Regional Trade in Meat and Livestock related products initiative;

Establishment of ECOWAS Climate Smart and Agriculture Gender Task Force facilitated  

The High Level Forum of Climate Smart Agriculture Stakeholders in West Africa convened by ECOWAS and its partners, from 15 to 18 June 2015 in Bamako led to the establishment of a Gender Task Force to foster gender mainstreaming in this initiative, with the facilitation of CORAF/WECARD.

Outcome

  • A Gender Task Force to foster gender mainstreaming in ECOWAS intervention framework for Climate Smart Agriculture established.

Contribution during the launch of CILSS - World Bank Pastoralist project in the Sahel (PRAPS)  

The Regional Project to support development of pastoralism in Sahel (PRAPS) has been developed by the World Bank and CILSS following the high level meeting on pastoralism held in Nouakchott, October 2013. The project will be implemented in Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger, Mauritania, Mali, in Senegal. During the launch of the project held in Bamako from 06-08 October, CORAF Gender Adviser was invited to share WAAPP gender policy, strategy, tools, experiences and lessons learnt on gender mainstreaming in WAAPP.

Outcomes

  • Regional Stakeholders involved in PRAPS learnt on the stake and importance of gender mainstreaming in PRAPS, and provided with basic gender tools to mainstream gender in PRAPS;
  • MoU between CILLS and CORAF expected to monitor the regional gender mainstreaming process in PRAPS;

 

E-discussions on ‘the potential of women and youth in the sustainable transformation of the agricultural sector in West and Central Africa’

The objective of the E-conference organized in April-May 2015 was to contribute to an improved harnessing of the potential of women and youth in the sustainable transformation of the agricultural sector in West and Central Africa. The outcomes will lead to the development of Recommendations, Actions Plans, Advocacy and Policy Notes so as to improve the process of gender mainstreaming in the agricultural research and development agenda in West and Central Africa. The E-conference intended to hear from stakeholders to improve CORAF/WECARD gender policy and strategy, so as to foster its contribution to the emergence of food sovereignty in West and Central Africa.

Expected outcome

Development of Actions Plans, Advocacy and Policy Notes to improve women’s access to land, gender integration in seed system, and gender integration in the innovation platforms in West and Central Africa.

Video Conference organized to evaluate the state of implementation of Gender Actions Plans in WAAPP countries.

Each semester, a VC is organised with the WAAPP countries Gender Focal Person, to discuss the state of implementation of countries Gender Actions Plans, to identify the challenges, and the way forward in terms of strategy to foster gender integration in WAAPP.

Partnership