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Press Release | African Women in Action: AfDB, Reparations NOT Debt!

Published

11 months ago

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(Photo: Community women protesting during the AfDB Counter Space in Cote d’Ivoire).

The Regional Week of Action taking place from 28 to 31 July 2025, is part of a growing movement demanding reparations from the African Development Bank (AfDB) for decades of financing extractive, patriarchal, and profit-driven “development” on the continent. It is an important moment of Pan African mobilisation for women on the frontlines of resistance against AfDB funded maldevelopment in Africa.

“AfDB, Reparations NOT Debt” is the message that hundreds of women in West and Central Africa will voice as they carry out their bold, vibrant actions to challenge the destructive development model financed by the AfDB. Communities and particularly women whose livelihoods and ways of life have been destroyed by the construction and exploitation of mega-projects such as hydroelectric dams, mining, monoculture plantations and other big developments, will rally to call attention to the impacts they face.

The recent AfDB Counter Space held from 21-23 May in Abidjan was aimed at shifting the mainstream neoliberal development narrative and help create space to strengthen solidarity and resistance to AfDB’s continued support for maldevelopment in African communities, concluding in the Abidjan Declaration.

Across five countries – Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Côte d’Ivoire, Niger, and Guinea – communities will participate in public testimonials, creative actions, community, and online mobilisations, and amplify official demands for reparations. They will make visible the true costs of extractive mega-projects on their land, their livelihoods, and nature.

Women from Batchenga in Cameroon and Bomboré in Burkina Faso will gather during this week to share traditional practices and techniques for crafting organic fertilisers to restore their land and preserve ecosystems. In Côte d’Ivoire, women from Singrobo are joining hands for a day of awareness-raising and intergenerational dialogue around a memory tree.

“We are not against development. We are against destruction. If ‘development’ is destruction in disguise, then we say NO,” said Massaouda, a community leader in Niger and member of the steering committee of the AfDB, Reparations NOT Debt campaign.

The campaign: “AfDB, Reparations NOT Debt” calls for:

  • An immediate end to destructive mega-extractive projects.
  • Reparations for women and their communities affected.
  • A transition to ecofeminist alternatives centred on people, not profit.

This Week of Action is a continuation of regional mobilisations in 2023 and 2024 and marks a new stage in the struggle for reparations in Africa.

Source: WoMin

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NGO WORK

1st Eastern Africa Indigenous seed conference 2026

Published

4 days ago

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June 30, 2026

By

For too long, indigenous and local seeds and livestock breeds and the farmers who nurture them have been overlooked in conversations about the future of our food systems. It’s time to change that!

The 1st Eastern Africa Indigenous Seed Conference is an opportunity for all of us; farmers, pastoralists, researchers, policymakers, civil society, and development partners; to bring back to the centre what truly matters: our seeds, our food, and our future.

From 17th–20th November 2026, we will come together at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), Nairobi, Kenya, to share knowledge, celebrate indigenous seeds and livestock diversity, strengthen Farmer-Managed Seed Systems, build partnerships, influence policy, and amplify the voices of the communities that continue to conserve and protect our seed heritage.

If you believe that resilient food systems begin with farmers and the seeds they steward, then this conference is for you.

Register today: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfTmZuwKbldfKRHBF4I62lquRLNRsGPWG5WUGi3KzupIkzy6w/viewform

📍 17–20 November 2026

📍 Catholic University of Eastern Africa (CUEA), Nairobi, Kenya

Our Seeds, Our Food, Our Future.

Source: eaindigenousseedconference.org

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1st Eastern Africa Indigenous Seed Conference 2026 | EA-ISC Nairobi The Indigenous Seeds movement in East Africa is convening in Kenya, with the potential to reshape the region’s food systems. Witness Radio and Seed Savers Network are partnering to produce radio content to save indigenous seeds in Africa. Seed Boot Camp: A struggle to conserve local and indigenous seeds from extinction. Seed Sovereignty: Most existing and emerging laws and policies on seeds are endangering seed saving and conservation on the African continent.
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NGO WORK

1st Eastern Africa Indigenous Seed Conference 2026 | EA-ISC Nairobi

Published

4 weeks ago

on

June 8, 2026

By

The largest Indigenous Seed gathering in Eastern Africa is happening this November!

From 17th–20th November 2026, farmers, pastoralists, community seed banks, researchers, policymakers, civil society organisations, and development partners will gather at the Catholic University of Eastern

Africa (CUEA), Nairobi, Kenya for the 1st Eastern Africa Indigenous Seed Conference.

At a time when climate change, biodiversity loss, and shrinking access to locally adapted seeds continue to threaten our food systems, this conference will provide a much-needed platform to strengthen Farmer-Managed Seed Systems (FMSS), advance seed sovereignty, and ensure that farmers remain at the centre of the conversations and solutions shaping our food future.

There are many ways to be part of this historic gathering:

  • Register as a participant
  • Join the planning committees and help shape the programme
    -Organise a side event
  • Submit an abstract, story, video, audio piece, artwork, or research paper
  • Exhibit your work, innovations, products, or community initiatives
  • Support farmer and community participation
  • Partner with us as a sponsor or co-organiser

This is an opportunity to build a vibrant regional community of practice, strengthen collaboration, share knowledge, and amplify farmer voices across Eastern Africa.

Register for the conference: https://eaindigenousseedconference.org/registration-abstract

Join us in planning as a co organiser: https://docs.google.com/…/1FAIpQLSf6XOWaGnV…/viewform…

#indigenousSeedsEA2026 #SeedSovereignty #UnitedForLocalSeeds

Source: eaindigenousseedconference.org

Related posts:

The Indigenous Seeds movement in East Africa is convening in Kenya, with the potential to reshape the region’s food systems. Witness Radio and Seed Savers Network are partnering to produce radio content to save indigenous seeds in Africa. Seed Boot Camp: A struggle to conserve local and indigenous seeds from extinction. The Witness Radio and Seed Savers Network Joint Radio program boosts Farmers’ knowledge of seed and food sovereignty. Seed Sovereignty: Most existing and emerging laws and policies on seeds are endangering seed saving and conservation on the African continent.
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NGO WORK

UN Experts Put Tanzanian Government on Notice – “Ensure Transparency and Respect for Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in Ngorongoro”

Published

2 months ago

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April 23, 2026

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April 17, 2026 press release from the offices of eight UN Special Rapporteurs1 calls for the Tanzanian government to immediately publish the findings of two presidential commissions amid growing concerns over its eviction plans.
The communication echoes the Oakland Institute’s warning that these sham Presidential Commissions are being used to rubber-stamp eviction plans without the consent of the Indigenous community.
The strongly-worded communication from the UN Special Rapporteurs states that “these reports are of profound public interest and must be made available to the public without delay…Decisions affecting tens of thousands of Indigenous Peoples cannot be taken behind closed doors.” The experts furthermore urge “the Government to halt any actions that could lead to forced displacement, and engage in meaningful dialogue with affected communities,” while issuing a clear reminder that “Indigenous Peoples have a right to remain on their traditional lands if they so choose…Conservation efforts must not come at the expense of human rights.”
Impacted Maasai communities welcome this intervention from the UN Special Rapporteurs and reaffirm their commitment to defend their rights to remain on their ancestral lands.
To learn more about the struggle against Fortress Conservation, watch the interview: The Dark Side of “Conservation”
On Fox 5 DC Weekend Live, Julie Donaldson interviews Andy Currier, Oakland Institute’s Policy Analyst. Watch the discussion on fortress conservation and the human cost of climate solutions that displace Indigenous communities who best protect our biodiversity.
Watch the video

Source: oaklandinstitute.org

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