Women of Africa leadership development program : research report - Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire, June - October 2008

French version available in IDRC Digital Library: Femmes d'Afrique : programme de formation sur le leadership; rapport de recherche - Libéria et Côte d'Ivoire, juin - octobre 2008The Women of Africa (WoA) Leadership Development Program Research Phase was comprised of three main research elements: 1) desktop research, 2) qualitative interviews, and 3) consultative workshops. The Leadership Wisdom Initiative (LWI) was launched in 2006 to provide transformational conflict management training and leadership development for political and civil society leaders worldwide, with a special emphasis on African women. Specifically, WoA helps women in their leadership journey, whether running for political office and being prepared to be effective once elected, or expanding their ability to influence change from within a current position. This report provides details of activities, outputs and findings

Women of Africa leadership development program : combined research report - Kenya, Liberia and Côte d'Ivoire, September 2007 - October 2008

Leadership development meetings were convened in Kenya to identify current regional barriers to inclusion, advancement and continuance of women’s participation in democratic decision making; and to learn from participants their needs in support of leadership development. The meeting brought together 24 political, academic and civil society leaders. Women across all three countries (Kenya, Liberia, Cote d’Ivoire) cited less access to education, lower self-confidence, fewer financial resources, and higher unemployment than their male counterparts. Cultural and institutional barriers were reported as primary obstacles to women’s leadership pursuits