Edited by Bene E. Madunagu and Cesnabmihilo Dorothy Aken’Ova, and published jointly by DAWN Africa Region and the Girls’ Power Initiative (GPI), this 2001 report documents the proceedings of the DAWN Africa Regional Consultative Meeting held in Zanzibar, Tanzania. The publication examines the effects of neoliberal globalisation, structural adjustment, and political restructuring on livelihoods, citizenship, and gender relations across the African continent. Drawing on DAWN’s interdisciplinary analytical framework, the text explores the connections between macroeconomic policy, governance, and sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The report discusses how cultural, religious, and political institutions shape women’s autonomy, fertility, and labour, while examining the socio-economic burdens associated with state retrenchment and economic restructuring. It also explores the intersections between gender power relations, economic dependency, and the HIV/AIDS pandemic. Drawing on experiences from regional networks, the publication documents approaches to grassroots mobilisation, youth civic education, budget analysis, and the use of regional and international human rights instruments, including CEDAW and the African Charter.