Summary Report
2024 West Africa Adolescent Girls Summit
"Connecting Girls, Breaking Barriers, Creating Change"
March 26–29, 2024 | Monrovia, Liberia
More than just a summit, the AGS is a powerful adolescent-led movement contributing to a gender-just world.
The Adolescent Girls Summit: How It All Started
In 2021, as part of the Ending Violence, Empowering Girls initiative, Global Fund for Children (GFC) and its local partners in Liberia and Sierra Leone embarked on a journey to create a safe space for adolescent girls aged 10–19 to connect, voice their concerns, enhance their knowledge on issues affecting them, build their leadership skills, and collectively advocate for their rights.
"I have never been in a platform where 80% of participants are adolescents, my peers. I was happy to see that the girls can make decisions and discuss the issues they face while leading the process. In many gatherings, it has been older people leading and making decisions; therefore, the feeling of me as an adolescent owning the space was extraordinary."
Impact of the Inaugural 2022 AGS
The inaugural AGS provided a dedicated platform for adolescent girls, whose needs and voices are often overlooked in youth- and women-led spaces. At the summit, adolescent girls and young women found a space where they could assert their rights, voice their concerns, amplify their voices, and collectively call for action.
Spotlight on Gitta Brima, 2022 AGS Planner and Participant
Gitta Brima is a 20-year-old girl from Waiima, a rural community in Bo District, Sierra Leone, where GFC partner Center for Advocacy and Sustainable Empowerment (CASE SALONE) implements a girls' empowerment program. In 2022, at age 18, Gitta was elected by her peers to serve on the Regional Advisory Panel charged with leading the planning of the 2022 AGS. Being part of the planning team enhanced her leadership skills and transformed her from a shy girl to an outspoken and fearless youth leader.
Spotlight on CASE SALONE, GFC Partner
Before 2022 AGS, according to Mustapha Keita, Program and Communication Manager at CASE SALONE, the organization faced significant challenges in effectively engaging adolescent girls and nurturing their leadership capacities. The staff lacked the necessary knowledge and tools to support girls in making informed decisions to impact their lives. Additionally, there was a noticeable absence of adolescent girls' involvement in decision-making processes within the organization.
Spotlight on Madam Jewel Howard Taylor, Former Vice President of Liberia
In 2022, the then Vice President of Liberia, Madam Jewel Howard Taylor, attended the last day of the inaugural AGS. During an interactive session, adolescents presented her with their call to action, articulating their concerns and recommendations on issues affecting them. Madam Taylor remarked that this was the first occasion she had to hear directly from adolescent girls about the challenges they face.
Highlights from the 2024 West Africa Adolescent Girls Summit
Held under the theme "Connecting Girls, Breaking Barriers, Creating Change," the 2024 AGS took place on March 26–29 in Monrovia, Liberia. It was attended by 250 delegates, including adolescents aged 10–19, youth aged 20–25, parents, government officials, civil society organizations, traditional, religious, and community leaders and international non-governmental organizations, UN agencies (UNICEF and UNFPA) and funders.
Delegates at the 2024 West Africa Adolescent Girls Summit in Monrovia, Liberia
They Expanded Their Networks and Connected with Like-Minded Peers
At the request of the adolescent leaders who spearheaded the planning of the inaugural AGS in 2022, 2024 AGS underwent a momentous expansion, encompassing 10 French- and English-speaking countries in West Africa: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Senegal, and Sierra Leone. This expansion was rooted in the recognition that adolescent girls across West Africa face common challenges and issues, transcending national borders and necessitating a unified and regional response.
They Strengthened Their Self-Confidence, Leadership, and Public Speaking Skills
2024 AGS emerged as a transformative platform, empowering adolescent girls to hone their leadership skills through active participation in the planning and execution of the event itself. By entrusting them with leadership roles such as masters of ceremonies and session moderators, the summit provided fertile ground for adolescent girls to cultivate their self-confidence and refine their public speaking skills. Even those who were initially reluctant to take center stage found themselves inspired to step forward and volunteer for leadership roles.
They Enhanced Their Knowledge and Gained Tools to Ignite Their Decision Making
The summit included workshops and panel discussions on issues the adolescents identified to be important to them. Topics included child, early, and forced marriage and unions; FGC; comprehensive sexuality education; strategies to keep girls in school; healthy masculinities; leadership skills development; mental health; using social media for advocacy; managing peer pressure and drug abuse prevention; human and child rights; and climate change.
They Dialogued with Parents, Leaders, Civil Society, and Policymakers
During the summit, adolescent girls were provided with a unique opportunity to engage in dialogue with various stakeholders, including parents, traditional and religious leaders, civil society organizations, and policymakers, on a wide range of issues directly impacting their lives. During these discussions, adolescent girls shared their lived experiences, challenges, and aspirations, offering valuable insights and recommendations for action. These discussions also provided the girls with a platform to amplify their voices, influence decision-making processes, and hold policymakers accountable for their commitments to girls' rights and wellbeing.
They Learned to Work with Boys as Allies to Achieve Gender Justice
From the initial consultation, adolescent girls made it clear that they wanted boys to be part of the journey to advance gender justice. The boys supported the girls throughout the planning of the 2024 AGS. All the sessions were moderated by girls and boys to demonstrate the importance of working together as a team to achieve gender justice. Adolescent girls and boys both learned to discuss and interact without any sexual intention.
They Lobbied for Funders to Fund Adolescent-Led Initiatives
The adolescent girls had the opportunity to engage with representatives of funding institutions, including ActionAid Liberia, African Women's Development Fund, the Embassy of Sweden in Liberia, GFC, Girls First Fund, Plan International, and RFSU on the challenges they face in accessing funding as adolescent activists. They voiced their concerns and shared their recommendations for funders to review their funding mechanisms to support adolescent-led initiatives aiming at empowering their peers, raising awareness, and advocating for their rights.
They Showcased Their Talents
2024 AGS provided a unique platform for adolescent girls to showcase their diverse talents, creativity, and skills. They utilized the art of spoken word poetry to shed light on pressing issues such as gender-based violence, access to education, and economic empowerment. They also displayed their rich cultural heritage through traditional dances and acting performances.
They Presented Their Calls to Action and Obtained Commitments
On the last day of the summit, adolescents compiled their recommendations for changes they wanted to see in a call to action, which they presented to the different stakeholders or their representatives present, including government officials, funders, UN agencies, international organizations, civil society organizations, parents, and traditional, religious, and community leaders, who all committed to share the call to action and follow up with their various institutions and communities.
They Amplified Their Voices Through Social and Mainstream Media
For 2024 AGS, GFC and its partners acknowledged that these adolescents are living in a digital age and must be supported to use social media and mainstream media to amplify their voices on issues affecting them. A visibility and public relations committee led by adolescents was set up to create and manage the summit's social media handles. In addition, GFC partners supported the adolescents to share about the summit through local radio stations. They were also featured on the BBC's Focus on Africa podcast.
2024 Calls to Action
Looking Ahead: Opportunities for Continued Support
"The summit is different in how adolescents' safety is guaranteed. It is the first time seeing high-level dignitaries listening to children to amplify their voice."
"From our involvement here at the AGS, we now know that there are some things we are missing when it comes to supporting the girls in our communities. What we have learned is to give them the platform in decision-making. We have understood that in the communities' leadership, the girls' voices and opinions must be reflected in decision-making."
"Working with GFC and other partners has not only been a rewarding experience but a powerful testament to our collective commitment towards empowering and amplifying the voices of young people across the region. The AGS has provided a platform where the aspirations, challenges, and resilience of adolescent girls are not only acknowledged but celebrated, and it has been my utmost joy witnessing and experiencing that."
GFC Support Beyond the Summit
Partners and stakeholders during the first day of 2024 AGS
For GFC, the AGS is far more than a singular event - it's a crucial component of the broader, long-term commitment to empowering girls and advancing their rights on the African continent. It aims at supporting girls as leaders, addressing the root causes of violence and gender inequality. Through the AGS, GFC seeks to catalyze systemic change by creating a platform for dialogue, knowledge sharing, and action-oriented strategies with girls at the center of decision-making processes.
Follow the AGS Movement
Participating Countries
Ten West African nations came together for AGS 2024:
Liberia
Host
Sierra Leone
Ghana
Nigeria
Cote d'Ivoire
Guinea
Benin
Senegal
Burkina Faso
Gambia
Appreciation and Acknowledgment
Funders
The 2024 West Africa Adolescent Girls Summit was possible thanks to the funding GFC received from the Tides Foundation and People's Postcode Lottery.
Supporting Organizations
Action Aid Liberia, African Women's Development Fund, Child2Child Book Foundation, Elle Ira a l'Ecole, Fund for Global Human Rights, Girls Not Brides, Jewel Starfish Foundation, Junior Achievement Africa, medica Liberia, Orchid Project, Plan International, RFSU, Shagalinku TV, She's the First, UNFPA, UNICEF, and YOCEL.
Local Partners
Achievers Ghana, Action pour le Developpement et la Protection de la Famille (ADPF), Akua Kuenyehia Foundation, Center for Advocacy and Sustainable Empowerment (CASE SALONE), Child and Youth Protection Foundation (CYPF), Children's Forum Network-Kenema (CFN), Club des Jeunes Filles Leaders de Guinee (CJFLG), Community Health Care Initiative (CHI), Femmes Actrices pour l'Education et le Developpement de l'Enfant (FAEDE), Generation Femme du 3eme Millenaire (GFM3), PROVIFEPE, SILOE, Union des Jeunes Dynamiques (UJDM), and Women Against Violence and Exploitation in Society (WAVES).
Gender inequality remains a pervasive issue in many parts of Africa, restricting the rights and opportunities of adolescent girls. The AGS places adolescent girls at the center of decision-making processes on issues affecting them.
"By expanding the AGS, more girls can be reached, equipped, and empowered to have agency over their lives, achieve their potential and lead initiatives that promote positive social change."
Download the Full Report
Continue exploring the AGS journey