CGO staff conduct two workshops to build capacity for improving gender equity in African universities
Dr. Evangelina Holvino, Senior Research Faculty at the Center for Gender in Organizations (CGO), and Ms. Tara Hudson, CGO Administrative Assistant, recently traveled to Nigeria June 3-17, 2005 to conduct two workshops as part of the Carnegie Corporation funded project. The workshops took place at Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) in Ile-Ife, Nigeria.
Workshop 1
The first workshop, held June 7-9, convened approximately 30 high-level staff and faculty Institutional Gender Focal Points from OAU and was co-facilitated with Dr. Olabisi Aina, Dr. Stella Williams, and Mrs. Busayo Ige of the Centre for Gender and Social Policy Studies at OAU. Focal Points are charged with the task of promoting, and ensuring implementation of the OAU’s gender equity plans within their own departments and units. At the end of the workshop participants were able to: * Increase their understanding of general models of institutional change and specific tools for promoting gender equity in the university and respective units. * Strengthen their internal network and support group as agents of change with responsibility for gender equity and institutional transformation at the university; and * Assess and adjust gender change strategies in their individual faculty’s and unit’s and develop follow up plans for applying learnings after the workshop.
Workshop 2
The second workshop, held June 13-15, brought together two representatives from each of six African universities currently receiving Gender Equity Project funding from the Carnegie Corporation: OAU, University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), University of Jos (Nigeria), University of Education, Winneba (Ghana), Ahmadu Bello University (Nigeria), and Makerere University (Uganda). Dr. Joy Kwesiga, formerly Head of the Gender Mainstreaming Division at Makerere University and currently the Vice Chancellor of Kabale University in Uganda, served as co-facilitator. This workshop provided participants, all of whom are leading the gender equity initiatives at their universities, with support for and feedback to improve their approaches and strategies for implementing their institutions’ gender equity plans. It also gave participants the opportunity to share learnings and best practices with each other, and to organize themselves into a network of support for their work going forward.
Carnegie Grant
The workshops furthered the mission of CGO’s “Capacity Building in African Universities” project, made possible by a grant from the Carnegie Corporation of New York to support the building of capacity of gender focal points and other university change agents working within universities in sub-Saharan Africa. CGO’s principal role will be to provide support to the gender focal points in the design and implementation of institutional change efforts through consultation activities so that the focal points can provide more effective training, strategic planning, and implementation of change interventions within their institutions. The project will continue through February 2006. This project builds upon a workshop convened by CGO and Carnegie in Ghana in July 2003. Dr. Evangelina Holvino, Senior Research Faculty at CGO, is the project leader.
As part of the project, CGO provided
1) technical assistance,
2) co-research and documentation, and
3) collaborative learning and dissemination of successful change efforts in order to increase competencies in the use of organizational change models for gender equity, and develop knowledge and identify “best practices” on institutional change for gender equity in African universities.
CGO’s principal role will be to provide support to the gender focal points in the design and implementation of institutional change efforts through consultation activities so that the focal points can provide more effective training, strategic planning, and implementation of change interventions within their institutions. As part of this capacity building effort and in collaboration with the gender focal points, CGO will also help gather, document, publish, and disseminate learnings and best practices, contributing to exchanging information and building knowledge about institutional transformation for gender equity among the six African universities.
For highlights of the grant, click here.