The three-day validation workshop held in Cape Town from May 8-10, 2024, brought together 20 feminist - researchers, academics, implementers, and activists from 12 countries and 16 institutions in Africa.

Foregrounded in drawing on and further interrogating the initial findings from the research on African perspectives on gender transformative approaches in health, the convening sought to generate dialogue and evolve a common understanding around what gender transformative approaches are or are not; exploring possibilities to reframe and reimagine it in its operationalization and assessment to ensure its transformational potential despite challenging political ground realities.

Prof Asha George, South African Research Chair (in Health Systems, Complexity and Social Change) and PI for the IDRC funded project (Gender-transformative research in Africa: Collective learning and synthesis to improve sexual, reproductive, and maternal health rights and services) warmly welcomed participants, and outlined the genesis of the event, how it came about, and the key expected workshop outputs, including:

• Enhanced insights and deeper understanding about conceptualization, operationalization and measurement of gender transformative approaches to sexual, reproductive and maternal health across diverse African health system contexts.
• Advancement of efforts to decolonize global health by strengthening African grounded scholarship informed by practice and lived experience in catalyzing gender transformative change across the continent and enhance ownership of research in terms of intellectual leadership and funding
• Strengthened networks and solidarity across participants and institutions

Over the course of three days, the workshop facilitated a rich exchange of insights and experiences. The sessions focused on the operationalization, conceptualization, and assessment of GTA; imbalances in research settings, authorship, and funding for GTA research; and the strengthening of African gender equality and health communities.

The workshop concluded on a positive note, with participants pledging to continue collaborating, and finalising in designated working groups several outputs. Participants also expressed appreciation for the workshop’s role in increasing their awareness of developments in the field across various parts of Africa, facilitating networking with like-minded individuals committed to advancing gender transformation in diverse spheres, and reinvigorating their commitment to their respective engagements.

Funders: NRF,

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