UN Women Regional Director for West and Central Africa, Dr. Maxime Houinato, will undertake an official visit to Sierra Leone from the 16th to 21st February 2026. The mission aims to strengthen high-level partnership dialogues with the Government of Sierra Leone and development partners to accelerate progress on gender equality and women’s empowerment.

In Ikungi District, rural women are turning skills into sustainable income through UN Women–supported training under the Joint Programme on Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment (JP RWEE). By forming the IKUWO Women’s Group, they have moved beyond selling raw produce to producing high-value goods, increasing incomes and strengthening their leadership and confidence.

For this year’s International Day of Women and Girls in Science, three remarkable young women stand out for the skills they gained through the African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI), a programme implemented by UN Women in collaboration with the African Union Commission and the International Telecommunication Union to equip young women with coding, digital literacy, problem‑solving, and leadership skills. Since its launch in Tanzania, over 200 girls have benefited from AGCCI coding camps, gaining practical digital skills, confidence, and exposure to STEM career pathways.

Women currently represent 7.5% of personnel within the AFL, a rate lower than other national security institutions such as the Liberia National Police (19%) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (15%). The project will support the Ministry of National Defense’s goal of reaching 15% women in the AFL over the next two years, primarily through a strengthened national recruitment campaign.

In Malawi, women remain underrepresented in politics, with only 23% of parliamentarians and even fewer local leaders elected in 2019, including just 4 of 33 seats in the northern region. Ahead of the 2025 elections, Mbawemi, a women-led rights organization, partnered with UN Women's WYDE | Women's Leadership programme, funded by the European Union, to empower female candidates, challenge restrictive norms, and reach rural communities with innovative approaches to strengthen women's political participation.

UN Women Uganda, in partnership with key government ministries and with support from the German Development Cooperation (GIZ), inaugurated two new African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI) ICT Hubs at Wanyange Girls’ Secondary School in Jinja and Kyebambe Girls’ Secondary School in Fort Portal in October 2025. Each hub is equipped with 60 computers and offers training in coding, robotics, web design, animation, and digital safety, expanding access to digital education for girls in Eastern and Western Uganda. Government officials and students welcomed the initiative as a transformative step toward breaking gender barriers in technology. The hubs will also serve girls from surrounding schools, strengthening regional access. With these additions, Uganda now hosts four AGCCI hubs, contributing to national digital transformation goals and UN Women’s efforts to close the gender digital divide while preparing girls for future STEM careers.

Across Uganda, women and girls are transforming their lives through skills, leadership, and resilience with support from the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) and UN Women. In Nakivale Refugee Settlement, 14 young refugee women are breaking gender norms by training in welding and metal fabrication—an in-demand trade that is already generating income, confidence, and respect within their households and community. In post-conflict northern Uganda, Hope Obalim’s journey from isolation to leadership reflects the power of collective healing. Through NUWOSO’s Megomakwiny initiative, she gained skills in advocacy and leadership, now speaking out against gender-based violence and supporting her family through farming and mentorship. In Arua, 22-year-old Anna, a mother of two, moved from dependency to dignity after gaining certified hairdressing skills. Her growing home-based business now sustains her family. Together, these stories highlight how economic empowerment restores dignity, challenges harmful norms, and creates lasting change.

Brenda Kisakye, 22, is a young Ugandan advocate whose life has been shaped by resilience in the face of loss, stigma, and living with HIV. Orphaned before her first birthday and raised without family support, Brenda grew up navigating hardship while adhering to lifelong treatment, often under severe economic strain. Rejecting harmful advice to depend on men for survival, she chose a path of self-belief and purpose. Motivated by her own experiences, Brenda became a mentor and advocate for young people, using school outreach and social media to promote treatment adherence, self-worth, and sexual and reproductive health rights. Her voice reached a global audience during the 2025 Day of the Girl Digital Takeover, where she engaged UN Women leadership on youth-centred HIV services. Despite recent job losses due to funding cuts, Brenda remains committed to supporting young women and girls—transforming personal struggle into leadership and hope.

Uganda launched the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV) 2025 in Kasese District, calling for accelerated action to protect women and girls. Hon. Peace Mutuuzo, Minister of State for Gender and Cultural Affairs, stressed the need for collective efforts to address harmful norms, strengthen prevention, and ensure justice for survivors. UN Women Uganda Country Representative, Ms. Paulina Chiwangu, highlighted the rise of technology-facilitated violence and noted that 51% of Ugandan women experience physical violence. The launch featured cultural performances, community dialogues, and survivor testimonies, spotlighting GBV prevention in western Uganda. As part of the campaign, the African Women in Sports Summit 2025 promoted safe, inclusive sports for women and girls. The 16 Days concluded with dialogues on digital violence at the Court of Appeal and UN Women Uganda’s Naguru office, reinforcing a shared commitment to protect women and girls both online and offline.

On the eve of Women's Entrepreneurship Day 2025, government officials and private sector representatives, and women entrepreneurs from Botswana, Namibia, and South Africa gathered in Gaborone for the EntreprenHER South-South Joint Exhibition, showcasing the transformative impact of cross-border collaboration in advancing women's economic empowerment across Southern Africa.

Today, 28-year-old Lydia employs five teachers, all of whom are women, supports her three younger siblings through school, and is studying toward a diploma in Early Childhood Development with the Namibia College of Open Learning. But just a few years ago, she was at home, unemployed, uncertain of her future, and unsure how to turn her dream of becoming a teacher into reality.

The training is an initiative of UN Women's Making Migration Safe for Women programme in South Africa, supported by the Federal Government of Germany, and is designed specifically to support migrant women through two distinct pathways: entrepreneurship and employment.

After her husband’s death, Adelaida Nyawlingo was drawn into a long land dispute that left her homeless and overwhelmed. In 2025, she finally received free legal support through the National Legal Aid Campaign, a joint initiative of the Government and UN Women, which helped resolve her case and rebuild her home.

Makgabo Moremi's entrepreneurial journey came full circle in 2025 when she stood before a room of fellow entrepreneurs in and officials in Botswana, sharing her story of how she went from an entrepreneur receiving training to becoming facilitator of the very program that transformed her life.

Stepping into a male-dominated market came with real challenges. Existing businesses were well-established, and customers were sceptical of a young woman’s capability. “Most people preferred to get services from men or even from outside Selebi-Phikwe. It was difficult to penetrate the market. We had to fight for every opportunity,” she recalls. Despite these barriers, Keotshepile pushed forward. After being referred to the EntreprenHER Programme, a partnership between UN Women and the De Beers Group in South Africa, Botswana, and Namibia, she gained tools that accelerated her business growth. The training reshaped how she approached marketing, costing, and financial management.

United Nations Assistant Secretary General and UN Women’s Deputy Executive Director Nyaradzayi Gumbonzvanda will undertake a high-level mission to Zimbabwe from 12–16 January 2026, joined by the East and Southern AfricaDeputy Regional Director Adama Moussa . The visit comes at a pivotal moment for gender equality efforts, as global reforms and shifting donor priorities reshape the development landscape.

On 3 and 5 December 2025, UN Women South Africa piloted media trainings in Johannesburg and Cape Town, respectively. The sessions, part of the Making Migration Safe for Women (MMS) programme funded by the Federal Government of Germany, brought together approximately 20 media professionals to reimagine how South African journalism covers one of the most consequential and misrepresented issues of our time.

The intergenerational dialogues create a bridge between youth and community elders, including chiefs, elders, and traditional leaders who hold deep knowledge of Basotho culture. Through a question-and-answer format, these conversations explore the daily realities of practices like early child marriage (lenyalo la bana ba tlaase lilemong), abduction (chobeliso), and inheritance (bojalefa), examining how they shape relations between men and women in Lesotho. During the discussions, elders illuminate the origins of these practices, and together participants propose adjustments that could prevent them from perpetuating gender-based violence.

At the time of the Conference—the most important one on women's rights up to that time—it was uncommon for many girls in the region to achieve their dreams for basic, let alone higher, education much less for women to hold positions of public leadership. Now, in 2025, progress towards equality is clear on many fronts.

On 18 December 2025, the grounds of the UN Women Uganda Country Office hosted the Women Uganda 2025+ Exhibition and Knowledge Fair, a dynamic, resource-smart convening celebrating women’s leadership in peacebuilding. Designed as an interactive, eco-friendly space, the Fair showcased grassroots women’s initiatives through photo displays, videos and QR-code–based knowledge products. Opening the event, Paulina Chiwangu emphasized the need to document and elevate women’s often overlooked contributions to peace. The Fair convened diplomats, UN agencies, private sector and civil society actors, including non-traditional WPS stakeholders. Leonard Zulu highlighted shared responsibility for gender equality through the Women Uganda 2025+ “Plus 1” Changemakers. Representing the Government of Uganda, Hon. Gidudu Mafabi reaffirmed commitment to inclusive peace and the WPS agenda. Civil society, represented by Paradigm for Social Justice and Development, called for sustained investment in grassroots women-led peacebuilding.