In a landmark move to institutionalised gender equality in Africa’s fiscal systems, the Africa Leadership Foundation (ALF) has launched the African Gender Budgeting Network (AGEBUN) — the first-ever Pan-African platform dedicated to advancing gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) and inclusive fiscal governance across the continent.
AGEBUN was conceived by ALF following insights from its previous gender programmes, which revealed the urgent need for a sustained, collaborative space linking practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and advocates working beyond short-term engagements.
The network’s formation was further spurred by calls from gender experts and machineries during the June 2025 Regional Advocacy Workshop on Gender-Responsive Budgeting, organised by ALF, the event drew over 600 participants from 31 African countries.
Formally launched on September 17, 2025, AGEBUN was convened by ALF in partnership with UN Women, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the African Union Commission’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (AUC WGYD), and Oxfam in Africa (OiA). marking a major milestone in Africa’s pursuit of Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) as a standard practice within national and regional fiscal systems.
At the launch, Olumide Ajayi, Executive Director of ALF, reaffirmed the organisation’s commitment to bridging capacity gaps and misconceptions around GRB.
“Gender-responsive budgeting is not new to Africa, but it remains underutilised due to limited knowledge, weak capacity, and widespread misconceptions.AGEBUN was established to bridge these gaps through knowledge sharing, peer learning, and coordinated advocacy, connecting practitioners, advocates, and stakeholders with the tools and resources needed to make fiscal systems truly inclusive,” he said.
Madame Doris Mpoumpou, Special Representative of UN Women to the African Union. inaugurated the network on behalf of UN Women applauding ALF for its leadership in conceptualising and coordinating the initiative.
She said, “Budgets are not just technical tools, but they are political statements that reflect what societies value. AGEBUN provides the platform to ensure our fiscal choices truly represent the priorities of women, men, and youth across Africa.”
According to the statement, “findings from the Africa Gender Index 2023 Analytical Report, developed by the African Development Bank (AfDB) and the UNECA, highlight why AGEBUN’s creation is timely. The report shows that women’s economic parity in Africa declined from 61% in 2019 to 58.2% in 2023, reflecting widening gaps in employment, income, and access to productive resources.
The statement further noted that AGEBUN aligns with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 5 on Gender Equality and SDG 16 on inclusive institutions, and with Agenda 2063’s Aspiration 6 and Goal 17, and that since its launch, AGEBUN has attracted over 250 registered members from 32 sub-Saharan African countries,
