The Institute for African Women in Law (IAWL), a Pan-African non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to supporting women in law across the continent of Africa and the Diaspora, has launched 10 reports on Women in Law and Leadership (WILL) in four African countries: South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, and Senegal.

In addition to the country reports, a Leadership Training Manual provides practical roadmaps for women pursuing leadership in law.

The reports form part of IAWL’s five-year strategic Women’s Excellence in Law and Leadership (WELL) Initiative.

The project is crucial in helping to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goal #5 on gender equality due to its use of an intersectional feminist lens to explore points of attrition in the pipeline, barriers to retention, and facilitators of promotion.

The reports further provided recommendations on strategies that can promote and facilitate women’s representation in leadership roles.

These will serve as a blueprint for policymakers, gatekeepers within the profession, civil society organizations, bar associations, judicial authorities, funding agencies, and other bodies interested in promoting women’s leadership in law.

Ultimately, the reports are expected to shape programmatic interventions to increase the number and capacity of women in leadership in the legal field.

The reports and Leadership Training Manual are available to download for free on the IAWL website at bit.ly/IAWL-WILL