Co-designing a Regional Response to Safer Digital and Community Spaces.
Date:
ACCRA, Ghana | 21–25 June 2026
Violence against women and girls is evolving. While harmful social norms continue to fuel discrimination and violence within communities, digital technologies are creating new forms of abuse that disproportionately affect women and girls. Responding to these interconnected challenges requires solutions that are rooted in local realities while benefiting from a coordinated regional approach.
Against this backdrop, the UN Women West and Central Africa Regional Office convened an inception mission in Accra, Ghana, bringing together Dr. Maxime Houinato, Regional Director for West and Central Africa, and colleagues from the Regional Office and the Country Offices in Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal. The mission marked a key milestone in advancing the implementation of a new Ford Foundation-supported regional programme that will be rolled out across the three countries to strengthen community-led advocacy and promote safer digital and community spaces for women and girls.
Rather than starting from a blank page, the week was designed to build on existing experience, partnerships and national priorities. As teams co-designed the programme's implementation approach, they also engaged with the institutions and organizations that will play a central role in delivering it on the ground.
Discussions with Hon. Dr. Agnes Naa Momo Lartey, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Protection, explored how the programme can reinforce Ghana's ongoing efforts to prevent violence against women and girls while complementing existing policies and national initiatives. The mission also provided an opportunity to engage with the African Women's Leaders Network (AWLN) Ghana Chapter, identifying opportunities to build on existing women's leadership networks, strengthen collaboration with implementation partners and maximize community ownership from the outset.
Grounding the programme in lived realities was equally central to the mission. Through exchanges with national experts and civil society organizations, the delegation deepened its understanding of witchcraft accusations, a harmful practice that continues to disproportionately affect older women in Ghana. These discussions reinforced the importance of addressing deeply rooted social norms while supporting ongoing national efforts to advance legal protection and uphold the rights and dignity of older women.
By combining technical co-design with engagement alongside government counterparts, implementation partners and women's organizations, the mission laid the foundations for a coordinated regional approach that builds on existing systems while accelerating collective action to make digital and community spaces safer for women and girls across Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal.