With the backing of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and First Lady Marie Khone Faye, Senegal becomes the seventh country to embrace OAFLAD’s Building Resilience campaign, strengthening continental action for women and girls.
By Ajong Mbapndah L & Aminaash Nyande Brima
Sierra Leone’s First Lady and President of the Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD), Dr. Fatima Maada Bio, has welcomed Senegal into a growing continental movement to protect and empower women and girls, as African First Ladies gathered in Dakar for the national launch of the Building Resilience campaign.
Hosted by Senegalese First Lady Marie Khone Faye, the gathering marked Senegal’s emergence as the seventh country to officially join the initiative, which seeks to strengthen the resilience of women and girls confronting climate change, conflict and their far-reaching social and economic consequences. The presence of Senegalese President Bassirou Diomaye Faye and First Ladies from across Africa added political weight to the campaign’s expanding continental reach.
For Dr. Maada Bio, the Dakar launch reflected the strength of African solidarity and the growing determination of First Ladies to move beyond advocacy towards practical interventions that improve the lives of women and girls.
“Dakar has once again shown the world the true meaning of African solidarity and leadership,” she declared, praising her Senegalese counterpart for her hospitality, commitment and advocacy.
The Sierra Leonean First Lady reserved particular praise for Marie Khone Faye, whose leadership helped bring Senegal into the continental initiative. She described the Senegalese First Lady’s commitment as an important contribution to OAFLAD’s efforts to mobilise African governments and development partners around the needs of vulnerable women and girls.
“Africa will build nothing sustainable without women and girls,” Marie Khone Faye declared during the launch, delivering a message that Dr. Maada Bio said captured the very spirit of OAFLAD and its mission.
The declaration struck at the heart of the campaign’s objectives, reinforcing the argument that Africa’s development ambitions cannot be realised without meaningful investments in the education, health, safety and economic empowerment of women and girls.
The participation of President Bassirou Diomaye Faye provided another significant dimension to the gathering. His presence underscored the Senegalese government’s support for the initiative and the importance of placing women’s resilience within broader national development priorities.
“His personal engagement and the full backing of the Government of Senegal send a powerful signal that the issues affecting women and girls are national priorities,” Dr. Maada Bio said, expressing appreciation for the Senegalese leader’s support.
The Dakar launch comes against a backdrop of mounting climate pressures and persistent insecurity across parts of Africa, where women and girls frequently bear some of the heaviest consequences. Droughts, floods, displacement, disrupted livelihoods and limited access to essential services continue to deepen existing inequalities, making targeted interventions increasingly urgent.
For many women, the effects of climate change extend well beyond environmental concerns, threatening household incomes, food security and access to basic services. Girls in vulnerable communities also face heightened risks of interrupted education, exploitation and other forms of insecurity when families are displaced or livelihoods collapse.
OAFLAD’s Building Resilience campaign seeks to bring greater continental attention to these challenges while encouraging coordinated national responses. By mobilising First Ladies, governments and development partners, the initiative aims to strengthen advocacy and support practical measures that help women and girls withstand crises and build more secure futures.
Under Dr. Maada Bio’s presidency, OAFLAD has continued to provide a platform for African First Ladies to coordinate their efforts on issues affecting women and children. The Building Resilience campaign adds urgency to that work by placing climate vulnerability and conflict alongside longstanding concerns about education, healthcare, protection and economic opportunity.
Senegal’s participation represents another step in broadening the campaign’s reach, with seven countries now formally associated with the initiative. Its expansion also highlights the potential of collective leadership in addressing challenges that frequently cross national boundaries and demand sustained cooperation.
The gathering in Dakar brought together First Ladies united by a shared conviction that the welfare of women and girls must remain central to Africa’s development agenda. Their participation reflected the growing recognition that national commitments, continental partnerships and community-level action must reinforce one another if meaningful progress is to be achieved.
For Dr. Maada Bio, whose advocacy for women and girls has become a defining feature of her public work, the campaign offers another avenue for promoting policies and partnerships that respond directly to the needs of vulnerable communities.
“The launch in Dakar was a resounding success. It strengthened our collective resolve, deepened partnerships, and reaffirmed that when African First Ladies stand together, we can drive meaningful change for the health, education, safety, and economic empowerment of women and girls,” she said.
The message also reflected a broader ambition within OAFLAD to ensure that the influence of African First Ladies is translated into tangible development outcomes. Beyond raising awareness, the campaign’s long-term significance will depend on the partnerships it mobilises, the resources it attracts and the improvements it delivers for women and girls in participating countries.
Senegal’s entry, backed by its First Lady and President, offers an opportunity to deepen national engagement with these objectives. It also strengthens the collective voice of African First Ladies in advocating for greater attention to the gender dimensions of climate change, conflict and economic vulnerability.
Dr. Maada Bio concluded the Dakar engagement by thanking Senegal’s leadership and people for their hospitality and partnership, expressing confidence that the solidarity demonstrated during the launch would help sustain the campaign’s momentum.
“On behalf of OAFLAD, I thank the people and leadership of Senegal for their exceptional hospitality and partnership. Together, we are building a more resilient Africa — one in which every woman and girl can thrive,” she declared.
With Senegal now the seventh participating country, OAFLAD’s Building Resilience campaign has taken another step towards establishing a broader African coalition around the protection and empowerment of women and girls. For Dr. Fatima Maada Bio and her fellow First Ladies, the task ahead is to turn the commitments made in Dakar into sustained action that reaches the communities most in need.