Kebetkache Women Development Centre, led by Emem Okon, is set to join other African women environmental rights activists to launch the inaugural African Women’s Climate Justice Day.
The event, scheduled for Wednesday, April 15, 2026, will see hundreds of women environmental defenders, community organisations and their allies mobilise across the continent and beyond under the theme: “Our Lands, Our Voices: African Women United for Reparations and Climate Justice.”
The initiative comes at a time of growing global concern over climate change, conflicts, inequality and environmental degradation. Organisers say African women, who are among the most affected by the climate crisis, are also at the forefront of advancing solutions and pushing for accountability.
Speaking on the significance of the day, Burkina Faso-based activist Odette Toe described it as an opportunity to amplify the voices of rural women and highlight the urgency of climate justice.
She noted that climate injustice continues to disproportionately impact African women, stressing the need for reparations for damages caused by environmental degradation.
The Day of Action aims to amplify the struggles and resistance of women on the frontlines of the climate crisis, particularly those affected by extractive and exploitative development models. Activities will include awareness campaigns, community dialogues, ecofeminist education, symbolic actions and creative expressions.
Organisers said the event would also serve as a platform for grassroots movements to demand climate reparations, linking environmental protection with broader issues of economic and social justice.
The mobilisation builds on the Women’s Climate Assembly (WCA), a Pan-African platform that has, since 2022, brought together activists and community leaders across Central and West Africa to address climate-related challenges and develop collective strategies.
Senegalese activist Khady Faye criticised global climate negotiations, noting that the interests of donor countries often dominate discussions at international summits.
She argued that Africa cannot continue to suffer resource exploitation while being denied meaningful climate justice.
The declaration of April 15 as African Women’s Climate Justice Day followed a resolution by the WCA Steering Committee in February 2026 in Monrovia, Liberia, building on earlier calls made during the 2024 Assembly in Saly, Senegal.
Also lending her voice, Burkina Faso activist Sakinatou Ouedraogo described the initiative as a powerful act of resistance and a step toward reclaiming African women’s voices in global climate discourse.
Organisers emphasised that the day represents a united call by African women to protect their lands, demand accountability, and push for a just and sustainable future.
