This archive report was first published on 8 July 2019.
Kenya's First Lady Margaret Kenyatta has led the country to retain its seat in the steering committee of the Organization of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) for a period of two years, representing the East African region for the third time.
At the 23rd OAFLAD General Assembly meeting in Niamey, Niger, on July 7, 2015, First Lady Kenyatta co-chaired the event with First Lady Sika Bella Kaboré of Burkina Faso. The meeting saw the election of First Lady Antoinette Sassou Nguesso of Congo as the new President of OAFLAD, taking over from First Lady Sika Bella Kaboré, while First Lady Margaret Kenyatta handed over the position of Vice President to First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa of Zimbabwe.
The theme of the 23rd OAFLAD General Assembly was 'Collaborating to Transform Africa, Addressing the Needs of Vulnerable Populations.' To strengthen the operations of OAFLAD, the First Ladies agreed that approved strategies regarding collection of membership fee arrears should be strictly implemented to give the organization a strong financial base.
OAFLAD, previously known as the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA), rebranded early this year to expand its scope of work to incorporate a broader range of development issues affecting the continent, including non-communicable diseases, gender equality, women's and youth empowerment, maternal and Child health among other issues.
First Ladies from various African countries attended the daylong meeting, including Aïssata Issoufou Mahamadou (Niger), Fatima Maada Bio (Sierra Leon), Monica Geingos (Namibia), Keïta Aminata Maiga (Mali), Hinda Déby Itno (Chad), and Isaura Nyusi (Mozambique).
