On September 25-27, 2019, Banyan Global and Women and Law in Development in Africa (WILDAF)/Mali, partners on the United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Mali Sub-National Governance Program (SNGP), held a pilot training for women in senior decision-making posts in Bamako, Mali. Thirty-five women and five men from various government ministries, regional bodies, and civil service organizations from Bamako participated in the workshop.

The purpose of the workshop was to enhance the skills of women leaders on key governance issues such as citizenship and accountability, as well as on gender-responsive budgeting and peer-to-peer coaching to better enable them to perform their roles and responsibilities. The training also built the capacity of these leaders to influence high-level decision-making in support of the Malian gender quota law (052) which stipulates that women must account for 30 percent of all public servants.

The September training was a pilot workshop; now, the team will refine and roll out the training in four other regions of Mali. Moving forward, the Mali SNGP gender team will also create a virtual network of women leaders who can share information and experiences and mentor each other online.