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Welcome to Gender And Development Action Online

Over the last one decade, GADA has been in the forefront of the struggle for gender-equity and equality in politics and development in Nigeria. Our commitment has been to poorest and most marginalized constituencies, of which women comprise a disproportionately high segment. Over the years, the organization has developed cutting – edge expertise working with a wide range of local and international partners to implement actions around women’s social, economic, cultural and political rights.

GADA has often been a rallying point for mobilizing women's groups in Nigeria.

GADA has become a catalyst for mobilizing women’s groups and their allies, linking their popular demands to policy making enclaves and negotiating for appropriate changes.

Gender and Development Action (GADA) is a non-profit, non-governmental organization committed to gender equality and pursuit of sustainable development and social justice in Nigeria. Our work promotes greater understanding and proactive responses to gender and development issues through research, information documentation and dissemination, training, consultation, dialogue, advocacy and mobilization.



   
 
Most Current Project
  
Politicizing Constitutional Reforms from a Gender Perspective: With Support from Heinrich Boll Foundation (HBF)
 

The Project

Since the return to civilian rule 10 years ago, much of the national debate has revolved around the credentials of the 1999 constitution as the foundation for a thriving democracy.  Apart from the question of legitimacy for a document that was handed down by a military dictatorship in a process that has been criticized as lacking in inclusiveness, the issue of the numerous gaps in the provisions of the constitution has continued to engage the attention of both civil society and all arms of government. GADA has been one of the key actors in the nongovernmental sector, having pursued since the year 2000, a programme of constitution review, working with a wide range of stakeholders in partnership with Heinrich Boll Foundation (HBF).We also worked with the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in 2005 to provide technical support on Gender issues in the Constitution. 

These nine years, we have hardly ignored any opportunity to exchange ideas or share experiences with various stakeholders in our quest to for a legitimate and gender responsive people’s constitution that would significantly address the problems confronting the society. It was for this reason that GADA together with numerous other nongovernmental organisations and civil society groups welcomed the National Assembly Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution when it was set up that year. The same year the then President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo inaugurated a Technical Committee on the Review of the Constitution with membership drawn from the then existing three political parties. Even though the President’s move was shallow, elitist and restrictive, since it did not involve the people of Nigeria , we regarded it as an admission by government the urgent need to come up with a constitution more acceptable to the generality of Nigerians.  And for us it had to be one that would reflect Nigeria ’s historical experience as well as the nation’s diversity and hope for the future. We also felt that the opportunity for making such a constitution could be utilized to mobilize the people to resolve the intractable conflicts in the country and reform the nature of governance. But alas, that hope was betrayed and the problems with the Nigerian Constitution continue to magnify rather than go away.

Gender considerations in the 1999 constitution represent some of the most glaring inadequacies and omissions.  The expression of what women (as citizens) want from a constitution is often missing or ignored.  What exist in the constitution are mostly gender-neutral provisions, which do not specifically address the concerns and place of women under the constitution.  By implication, constitutional provisions have different impact on women and men.

 Our work with the HBF over these years has revolved around the politicization of gender perspectives to the constitution. Our activities have ranged from debates by means of roundtables organized around the various thematic areas, seminars, workshops discussions and short dramas on television to publications the outcomes at  all levels of engagement with stakeholders attest that the1999 Constitution is flawed because of some of its  provisions as much as the key issues it fails to address.

Politicizing Gender Reforms

When the project commenced in 2000 we had the following objectives:

·        To disseminate gender based information on constitutional reform and broaden the space for inputs to a national constitutional debate

·        To provide strategic support for the Presidential group on Constitutional Reform, the national and state assemblies as well as other agencies in their work on constitutional reform

·        To link gender issues with other themes of constitutional importance and enhance their recognition as part of the national question

·        To influence the advocacy efforts on constitutional reform with a view to having these issues  to recognized  as part of the national question

·        To link up with other networks and coalitions and give them critical support from gender based constitutional support

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