AWLN Seychelles Launches Five-Year Strategic Action Plan
VICTORIA, Seychelles, On March 5, Seychelles joined the global community to commemorate International Women’s Day and celebrate women and their achievements. This year the theme chosen to mark the day is ‘Invest in Women, Accelerate Progress’. The Seychelles Chapter of the African Women Leaders’ Network (AWLN) is taking the opportunity to create awareness about the network and the work it does. The chapter set up its strategic plan of action 2024-2029 in a team building exercise held at the Coral Strand hotel at the beginning of the year, providing a clear roadmap for the years ahead.
The concept of AWLN started in New York in 2010 and it was launched in Addis Ababa in 2017. Seychelles was amongst the founders of this network, of which the mission is to empower women most importantly to take up leadership roles and be part of decision-making processes. AWLN also aims to prepare women to advocate inclusivity in all aspects of peace and security, gender equality, post-conflict reconstruction and to act as catalysts for positive change. The local chapter has defined its mission and is placing emphasis on emboldening women leaders at local and national levels, to increase their involvement in the political, educational, social and economic decision-making process of the nation.
The Chapter set up its strategic plan of action 2024-2029 in a team building exercise held at the Coral Strand hotel at the beginning of the year. That meeting, chaired by AWLN’s out-going Chairperson Mrs Marie Pierre Lloyd, grouped together members of the local network in a half-day working session, to define the six pillars of AWLN Seychelles chapter which are: governance and transparency, peace and security, finance and women entrepreneurship, youth, promoting young female leaders, agriculture and climate change, and social mobilisation. The pillars are aligned with both national priorities and the wider African Union framework for women’s empowerment.
Mrs Marie Nella Azemia, the chairperson of AWLN Seychelles, shares how the local chapter intends to work towards ensuring inclusivity and representation of diverse voices within its initiatives in Seychelles, in line with this year’s theme ‘Invest in Women’. We intend to ensure representation of professionals, women and girls from all walks of life, especially women aspiring to become leaders in their respective fields. We intend to prioritise inclusivity by actively creating platforms for open dialogue, and ensuring that decision-making processes reflect a broad range of perspectives. We also plan to carry out outreach programmes to engage underrepresented groups and promote equal opportunities, so as to further enhance inclusivity within our initiatives.
Other members of the Executive committee have also participated in various conferences. Nelda Auguste attended the AWLN 8th Intergenerational Retreat which took place last October in Brazzaville in the Republic of Congo, under the patronage of H.E. Denis Sassou Nguesso. The retreat provided a platform for Africa’s young and senior women to engage in meaningful dialogue as they navigated core themes and topics aligned with the year’s overarching theme. AWLN Seychelles was also represented at conferences on Positive Masculinity in Leadership, to eliminate violence against women and girls, organised by African Union and AWLN in Senegal and Johannesburg, South Africa, both conferences attended by a number of men to educate them on the issue of Gender Based Violence, that is ravaging our societies and Seychelles is no exception.
