Midrand, South Africa, March 8 -- The NEPAD Spanish Fund for African Women Empowerment has approved funding for 31 projects in Sub-Saharan African countries worth 8,209,745 Euros in its determination to empower women in the region and boost development, the NEPAD Planning and Coordinating Agency announced today. The projects were selected by the Steering Committee of the Fund in Madrid on February 29, 2012, the Agency said today. They are scheduled for completion between 12 and 24 months. More than 600 proposals were received from non-governmental organizations, grassroots groups, academic institutions and regional economic communities across sub-Saharan Africa.

Today’s announcement of the successful projects coincides with the celebration of this year’s International Women’s Day.

"NEPAD and the Government of the Kingdom of Spain share a common goal of advancing gender equality and gender equity,” NEPAD Agency’s Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Ibrahim Assane Mayaki, said. “The implementation of the NEPAD Spanish Fund represents one of the key steps to achieve this goal.” 

In his own comment, the Director of the Spanish Agency for International Development (AECI), Mr. Juan Lopez-Doriga, praised NEPAD’s Gender Programme for its meticulous, thorough and diligent work in the selection process.

The NEPAD Spanish Fund is involved in the areas of health, economic development, and education, while at the same time promoting social and political participation of women in the development process. Its ultimate goal is to empower women economically, to build capacity of civil society organizations as well as other institutions.

The latest approvals are the second batch to be sanctioned by the Fund since its creation in 2007. In the first phase, 46 projects were funded. Out of the number, 38 have been successfully completed while are nearing conclusion. Prominent among projects funded under the first phase were Incubators for African Women Entrepreneurs in regional bodies such as the Common Market for East Africa and Southern Africa (COMESA) and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

The NEPAD Agency is the technical arm of the African Union designed to help speed up African integration and socio-economic development.

About the NEPAD Spanish Fund for African Women Empowerment

The NEPAD Spanish Fund for African Women Empowerment was established in 2007 following the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between NEPAD and the Spanish Government. The Fund contributes to poverty eradication and economic empowerment of women by supporting financial and technical projects that support gender equality and improve the economic, political and social empowerment of women. The program aims to achieve the Millennium Development Goals in Africa by 2015 and considers equity, gender equality and empowers women as a prerequisite, if not indispensable, to the growth and development sustainable.

Follow the link below to access the list of approved projects for funding for the second call for proposal: http://www.nepad.org/crosscuttingissues/knowledge/doc/2636/nepad-spanish-funds-african-women-empowerment-second-call-prop 

For more information on the NEPAD Spanish Fund, please contact

M. Ndèye Rosalie LO : RosalieL@nepad.org

Tel : +27 11 256 36 58