African Debt Conference Embraces Feminist Lens in Three-Day Summit
As Africa grapples with mounting debt, exacerbated by global economic pressures, AfCoDD IV represents a significant shift in approach.
MAPUTO, Mozambique— A groundbreaking conference addressing Africa's debt crisis through feminist perspectives is set to unfold in Mozambique's capital from August 28-30, 2024, writes Winston Mwale.
The 4th African Conference on Debt and Development (AfCoDD IV) aims to reshape the continent's approach to its persistent debt challenges.
Day 1 opens with a keynote address by Dinah Musindarwezo, framing Africa's debt challenge from a feminist lens.
The speech will politicize the feminist perspective and emphasize its importance in developing holistic solutions.
Following this, a session on "Women in Power: Power, Politics, and Resources" will explore the critical role of women across all sectors in addressing policy asymmetries.
Speakers include Hon. Khanysile Tshabalala-Litchfield from the African Parliamentary Network on IFFs and Tax, and Quitéria Guirengane from Women's Observatory Mozambique.
The afternoon features four concurrent breakout sessions. One will examine the G20 Common Framework's impact on feminist aspirations in public debt management.
Another will navigate resource-backed loans and odious debts, using South Sudan as a case study.
A third session will present pan-African feminist and youth perspectives on the debt crisis, while the fourth will explore feminist approaches in transforming global financial architecture.
Day 2 dives deeper into research and ideation.
Morning sessions include a citizen forum on the debt crisis's impact on communities, an examination of public debt from a feminist perspective, and an analysis of the gendered effects of austerity measures in budgeting, focusing on Kenya's experience.
The afternoon sessions cover diverse topics:
— The legal landscape of public debt management in Africa
— Combating predatory lending and promoting austerity-free debt restructuring
— Enhancing the African Continental Free Trade Area as a response to global challenges
— Navigating financialization, debt, and illicit flows through a Pan-African feminist lens
Additional sessions explore Zambia's debt restructuring challenges from a feminist perspective, rethink sovereign debt through a human rights lens using Mozambique as an example, and discuss campaign strategies for debt advocacy.
The final day synthesizes the conference's themes. It begins with reflections on national debt meetings, aiming to distill common themes into a unified CSO approach to Africa's debt burden.
Speakers include Prof. Adriano Nuvunga from CDD Mozambique and Isaac Mwaipopo from CTPD Zambia.
A session titled "Bringing It All Together" will explore how a feminist lens might shape future approaches to debt management.
The conference concludes with a discussion on collective action, linking people, politics, power, and processes.
As Africa grapples with mounting debt, exacerbated by global economic pressures, AfCoDD IV represents a significant shift in approach.
The conference's success in translating feminist economic theory into practical policy remains to be seen, but it's clear that traditional methods have yet to resolve the continent's long-standing debt issues.