2011.03 Evaluation of Danida's "Women in Africa" Regional Support Initiative

In 2006, the Danish government launched a five-step plan to promote women’s empowerment and gender equality in Africa. A special allocation was earmarked for regional support initiatives to enhance African ownership and promote cooperation across boundaries. African organisations, think tanks and networks committed to promoting women’s equal rights, including equal access to resources and political influence, qualified for this funding envelope which went under the name ‘Women in Africa’. Another part of the funding envelope was geared towards international non-governmental organisations working for the promotion of women’s rights in post-conflict countries, also with a regional perspective.

The objective of this evaluation has been to assess results and identify lessons from the overall approach and from a sample of organisations and activities funded under the Woman in Africa regional support initiative. In particular, the evaluation seeks to strengthen the foundation for future directions of this or similar initiatives to promote gender equality in Danish bilateral assistance.

The Evaluation covers all 15 grantees under the Women in Africa support initiative during the period 2006 to 2009. It is based on document review, interviews with all grantees and selected key informants, as well as an in-depth review of a sample of activities in Kenya and Uganda. Visits have also been made to organisational headquarters or coordination offices of grantees based in the UK and Denmark.

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