The African Development Bank Group has approved approximately $3.7 million to launch a new governance and gender equality initiative in South Sudan, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau. The Building Resilience and Inclusive Development through Governance and Equality (BRIDGE) project aims to address governance gaps that allow gender-based violence and discrimination to persist by strengthening justice institutions, enhancing women’s representation, and empowering civil society to demand accountability. The project will be implemented in partnership with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), with the grant agreement signed in November by the Bank’s Director General for East Africa, Alex Mubiru, and his UNDP counterpart, Matthias Naab.
BRIDGE seeks to promote transparency, accountability, and inclusiveness in public institutions while expanding opportunities for women’s leadership, skills development, and meaningful participation in national decision-making. The initiative coincides with the Bank’s observance of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, serving as a practical institutional response to systemic weaknesses that perpetuate inequality and violence. By equipping justice-sector institutions, women leaders, and civil society organizations with targeted tools, the project aims to advance gender-responsive governance across the three countries.
Dr. Jemimah Njuki, Director of the Gender, Women and Civil Society Department at the African Development Bank Group, emphasized that the project supports gender-responsive budgeting, stronger leadership opportunities for women, and practical skills development to ensure governance reflects the needs of all citizens. South Sudan, The Gambia, and Guinea-Bissau face fragility, resource constraints, and economic pressures that disproportionately affect women and young people. Strengthening national institutions, accountability systems, and public-sector capacity under BRIDGE is intended to create more resilient pathways toward stability and inclusive growth.
Funding for the project comes from the Bank’s Transition Support Facility, established to provide concessional financing to countries affected by fragility and conflict. UNDP will lead field implementation, leveraging its existing networks and partnerships to work closely with governments, civil society, and both formal and informal justice systems to uphold the rule of law, resolve disputes, and improve access to justice. The African Development Bank’s Gender, Women and Civil Society team will provide technical guidance and policy support, ensuring that reforms are embedded at both institutional and community levels while tracking progress on women’s participation in governance.
