By Jenifer Gilla
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Feminist leaders and climate justice advocates have urged greater use of digital platforms and communication tools to ensure rural women’s voices are central in Africa’s just transition, alongside stronger legal protections for women human rights defenders facing harassment and intimidation.
Speaking on the second day of the African Feminist Just Transition Forum, participants emphasized that rural women are on the frontlines of climate change impacts, yet their experiences seldom reach policymakers or shape climate finance and adaptation strategies.
Diana Letion, Programmes Coordinator at the Women Human Rights Defenders Hub in Kenya, described evidence-based storytelling as one of the most powerful tools for influencing climate policy.
“Let women tell their own stories about losing farmland to drought, about caring for families without water, about innovating climate-smart solutions. We must also build strong partnerships with journalists, especially at community level, to ensure these stories reach policymakers,” she said.
Letion highlighted how Maasai women are using TikTok in their local language to simplify complex topics such as carbon markets and to link historical injustices with current climate negotiations. She described these digital platforms as powerful advocacy spaces that bypass traditional barriers.
Kenya’s National Gender and Climate Change Focal Point, Jackline Makokha, stressed that rural women’s participation in decision-making must be intentional. She noted that access to both technology and digital literacy is critical.
“Participation happens in layers; there are high-level consultations and grassroots consultations. Rural women must be represented in both,” she said. “Even a one-page written response can make a difference in ensuring their voices are not ignored.”
Makokha also underscored the importance of capacity building, saying women human rights defenders often lack resources and technical knowledge to participate effectively. She added that organizing into recognized platforms can further strengthen their ability to influence policymakers.
Ugandan gender and climate focal point, Winifred Masiko, emphasized the need for greater awareness of existing accountability frameworks. She pointed to Uganda’s Climate Change Finance Unit and its gender and equity certification in budgeting, which requires ministries to demonstrate how women have been included.
“These frameworks exist, but rural women must know about them and demand accountability. Wider communication efforts are needed to close the knowledge gap,” she said.
Rekik Bekele, CEO of Green Scene Energy, shared her experience working with rural women through solar energy initiatives. She warned that quotas designed to promote inclusion can be exploited, with men using women’s names to access financing.
“We must go beyond quotas and work through community structures that already exist cooperatives, savings groups, and traditional associations where women are genuinely present,” she said.
Despite these challenges, Bekele noted that new opportunities are emerging. From the spread of mobile technologies to stronger climate finance mechanisms and constitutional guarantees of participation, she said rural women now have more tools than ever to shape Africa’s just transition.
“What remains is ensuring these tools are firmly placed in their hands,” she said.