February 7-12, 2008, Vital Voices partnered with The World Bank Gender Action Plan to host a group of 25 African women entrepreneurs and accomplished African women advocates in Cape Town, South Africa for Leveling the Playing Field for Women’s Economic & Social Progress, a program of the African Women’s Leadership Initiative sponsored by ExxonMobil Foundation.

Program participants represented 12 African countries from East, West, Central and Southern Africa. The curriculum was designed to help women leaders advocate for progress on the removal of legislative barriers impeding women’s economic achievement. Materials were developed to provide leaders with the skills and tools they need to advocate for policy changes and the implementation of agreements to impact women’s economic progress in Africa. International and regional examples were explored through academic research, case studies, and participants’ own experiences. Global advocacy experts and partners from the public and private sectors joined participants to collaborate on panel discussions, working groups, and strategic meetings.