ABC Supports Women’s Networks to Advance Women’s Participation in Leadership in Kambia District

ABC-Development, through grant support from the Irish Aid and Trócaire Fund, continues to strengthen the advocacy efforts of women and young women’s governance networks in Kambia District.

As part of this ongoing support, the networks convened a roundtable stakeholder engagement on 22 August 2026, bringing together representatives of political parties, the Ministry of Gender, the Sierra Leone Police, traditional leaders, and other district and chiefdom stakeholders to discuss women’s participation in leadership and decision-making.

The engagement provided an important platform for women’s networks to raise concerns about the barriers women face when seeking leadership positions and to advocate for stronger commitments from political parties and other stakeholders.

A key outcome of the engagement was the presentation of a position paper developed by the women’s networks. The paper called for political parties to uphold the 30 percent quota for women and to ensure that women, particularly those aspiring to political leadership, are protected from discrimination, intimidation, harassment, and violence.

ABC-Development supported the networks to use the engagement as an advocacy platform to promote greater accountability and commitment to women’s meaningful participation in governance.

Representatives of the political parties responded positively to the concerns raised. District representatives of the Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) and the All People’s Congress (APC), alongside other stakeholders, expressed their commitment to honouring the women’s requests and supporting efforts to increase women’s participation in leadership.

The engagement also provided space for stakeholders to share perspectives on the importance of creating an enabling environment where women can participate in political and public life without discrimination or violence.

For ABC-Development, supporting women-led advocacy remains an important part of strengthening inclusive governance and ensuring that women and young women have a meaningful voice in decisions that affect their communities.

The engagement demonstrates the value of bringing women’s networks, political actors, government institutions, security authorities, and traditional leaders together to promote practical commitments towards more inclusive leadership.

ABC-Development remains committed to supporting women and young women to advocate for their rights, participate meaningfully in governance, and contribute to more inclusive and accountable communities.