Akina Mama wa Afrika (AMwA) is an international, Pan-African, non-governmental development organisation for African women with its Head Office in Kampala, Uganda. AMwA was established in 1985 as a small community-based organisation, which sought to create a space for African women to organise autonomously, network with each other, share skills and expertise, identify issues of concern and speak for themselves, which was essential considering their position as migrants and refugees in the UK. Translated from Swahili, our name means symbolises the principles of sisterhood on which the organisation was based: 'Solidarity among African Women'.  AMwA’s ethos is ‘Speaking for Ourselves’.

Over the years, AMwA has grown into a Pan African International Development Organisation and an NGO in consultative status with the UN Economic and Social Council that focuses on women’s leadership development and policy-influencing in the UK, Europe and Africa. AMwA’s aim is to provide solidarity, support, awareness, and to build links with African women active in the areas of their own development. Over the past 23 years since it has been in existence, AMwA has actively supported initiatives to strengthen links with the women’s movement in Africa.

AMwA was founded to create space for African women to organise, build links with each other and speak for themselves. Since then, it has become one of the most recognised international development NGOs led by African women and run for African women, both on the continent and Europe. The organisation was founded and operates on the premise that African women have a key role to play in their own development and the shaping of their own destinies. In response to challenges faced by African women both on the continent and elsewhere.

VISION

A world in which there is social, economic and political autonomy of African women.

MISSION STATEMENT

Akina Mama is an African women’s international non governmental development organization based Africa. Coordinating local, regional and international initiatives, Akina Mama serves as a mobilizing, networking information advocacy and training forum for African women, building their leadership capacities to influence policy and decision making.

GOALS

•     To influence policies that affect African women at national, regional and international levels.
•     To participate in the construction of a feminist epistemology by African women.
•     To strengthen and promote African women’s feminist leadership.
•     To respond to the leadership needs of African women and African women’s organizations.

As part of its Africa program, AMwA set up the African women’s leadership initiative (AWLI). This was an initiative to contribute to the post Beijing process of strengthening the African women’s movement. The ultimate goal of the AWLI is to encourage and train a significant number of women for informed leadership positions that will ultimately promote a progressive African women’s development agenda.

In order to develop the potential of young African women, AMwA’S AWLI program provides leadership positions to enable them empower other African women who are living in patriarchal communities with self development and life skills training. The AWLI aims to convene an intensive three week residential leadership-training institute every year in one country in Africa. The first one was held in Entebbe- Uganda in February 1997. The 1997 AWLI attracted women from 16 countries who carried out some follow-up activities after graduating from the institute. Among these women were five were five Ugandans who were interested in developing the women’s leadership base in their home country. It was through their initiative that the Leadership TRAINING PROJECT IN UGANDA (leaders) was conceived.

Akina Mama wa Afrika initiated LEADERS project to provide a support base for the five Ugandan alumni to transfer the skills and knowledge received at AWLI. The project has been replicated in other countries in Africa through national leadership training programmes that are supporting local initiatives. This will enable AMwA to strengthen our friendship training initiatives for African women.