Training and Capacity Building

Under our Training and Capacity Building programmes, we sensitise policy-makers, NGOs and CBOs about gender issues and the potential of women as leaders who can promote transformational change. We also organise training programmes for women so that their skills match the pre-requisites for effective engagement with governance institutions. Such training programmes seek to build the capacities of NGOs in the four thematic areas of Governance, Conflict, ICTs and Poverty.

ABANTU uses an approach that recognises the different ways in which women and men learn. This people-centred, participatory approach aims to develop participants' abilities and skills to diagnose and solve development problems. It enables the development of critical consciousness for change and transformation. The approach is based on the belief that every individual has valuable knowledge, skills, and experiences that they bring to any process. ABANTU trainers therefore encourage participants to contribute their diversity of experiences, thus becoming facilitators of their own, and others' learning. The methods used in the training include: context-specific case studies, discussion and working groups, role plays, songs, folklore, dance, problem-solving exercises and simulations.

Downloadable Reports and Activities

-Mentoring in Governance for Young Women (with sponsorship from AAIG) - 2006/2007. This is a programme to provide practical and theoritical training and capacity building in governance for female senior secondary school graduates. The aim of the mentoring programme is to train a critical mass of young women who will be capable and available to participate in decision-making and governance institutions at all levels through elective and/or appointed positions. The vision is to achieve equal participation in decision making by women and men in Ghana. The pilot programme is being implemented between August 2006 and July 2007.

- Training & Capacity Building for Female Officials of Political Parties in Ghana (An ABANTU/FES/WIB Collaboration) - 2005/2006. This is a programme to train selected female officials of all registered political parties in Ghana to enhance their effective participation in the politics of their parties.

- Enhancing Women's Political Participation in West Africa (International Conference by ABANTU & IDEA) - 2005. The is the report of an international conference aimed at providing comparative information on quotas; share experiences across the West Africa sub-region; learn from those with relevant knowledge and provide networking opportunities for those involved in the debate; examine and evolve strategies and methods to advocate for quota provisions and implementation; and identify problems and tools as well as the results and outcomes of quotas.

- Promoting Gender through Policy Advocacy: Are We Making a Difference? (International Conference by ABANTU & FES) - 2005. This is a report of a two-day international conference aimed at promoting gender through policy advocacy. As a follow-up to one organised in 2004, the workshop provided an opportunity for participants drawn from across Africa to share best practices and experiences aimed at fostering and advancing the systematic promotion of gender through policy advocacy.

- ICTs Conceptualization Workshop - 2001 . This is a report of a workshop aimed at bringing together active participants in the ICT sector to inform each other about their work and jointly develop a framework for assessing national ICT policies from a gender and African perspective. Participants included policy makers, service providers, educators, practitioners, gender analysts and others from civil society organisations drawn from Ghana and Nigeria.