In a bid to strengthen gender equality and inclusive governance across the continent, the Africa Leadership Foundation (ALF) has launched the first-ever Pan-African platform dedicated to advancing gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) and inclusive fiscal policies called the African Gender Budgeting Network (AGEBUN).

AGEBUN was initiated by ALF in response to the outcomes of its previous gender programmes, which emphasised the critical need for a sustained platform that connects practitioners, policymakers, researchers and advocates beyond one-off engagements.

However, the importance of such a platform was further reiterated by gender machineries during the June 2025 Regional Advocacy Workshop on Gender-Responsive Budgeting, organised by ALF, which was attended by over 600 gender machineries, advocates, gender equality experts, and enthusiasts from across 31 African countries.

The network was then launched on September 17, 2025 and was convened by ALF, in partnership with UN Women, the UN Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), African Union Commission’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate and Oxfam in Africa (OiA).

It marked a significant milestone in Africa’s ongoing efforts to institutionalise gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) as a standard practice within national and regional fiscal systems.

ALF’s Executive Director, Dr Olumide Ajayi, while speaking at the opening session, reaffirmed the Foundation’s leadership and vision in driving the initiative.

“Gender-responsive budgeting is not new to Africa, but it remains under-utilised 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.

Meanwhile, the launch featured remarks and commitments from high-level representatives, including Paul Vingi, Interim Gender Justice Lead, Oxfam in Africa; Cleopatra Hurungo, Regional Advisor and Gender Team Leader, UNDP Regional Service Centre for Africa; Keiso Matashane-Marite, Chief of Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, UNECA (represented by Judith Beatrice Auma Oduol); Prudence Ngwenya, Director of the AUC’s Women, Gender and Youth Directorate (represented by Ilwad Elmi Mohammed) and Doris Mpoumpou, Special Representative of UN Women to the African Union.