AU WATCH

All About Maputo

“Every woman shall have the right to dignity inherent in a human being and to the recognition and protection of her human and legal rights. … Every woman shall have the right to respect as a person and to the free development of her personality. … States Parties shall adopt and implement appropriate measures to prohibit any exploitation or degradation of women. …. States Parties shall adopt and implement appropriate measures to ensure the protection of every woman’s right to respect for her. “

Maputo Protocol, Article 3 (1-4)

Sixteen years ago, in November 2005, the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (the “Maputo Protocol”) was adopted by Members of the African Union with the aim of upholding the rights of women and girls in Africa.

The Maputo Protocol is a binding legal framework that holds African governments to account for the continued gross violation of the rights of women and girls in Africa. They set a 2020 deadline within which all African nations must have signed and ratified it.

However, since then and with less than six months to go to the year 2020, 13 countries are yet to ratify it including three that have neither signed nor ratified it.

Women and girls deserve to live in a world that is equal, free from all forms of violence and discrimination, and if all African nations fully abide by their obligations under the Maputo Protocol, this will become a reality.

‘All About Maputo’ at Glance

All About Maputo’is here to bring out the best of our women in Africa. Together we will show case what is best about us. We are investing in creativity and that entrepreneurial spirit and ambition, which is so abundant in us. We are resourceful. We also bring journalistic rigor and credible, peer-reviewed science to bear. Resourcefulness is the fuel that keeps our feet close to the fire. Thinkers and writers who see possibilities, not problems; entrepreneurs who see challenges, not limitations.

We are research minded. We provide a toolbox of research- and expert-backed strategies to be more productive, inspired, and whole. We also know that grand accomplishments are never achieved alone. We, therefore, structure everything we do in such a way that, because we are constantly cooperating with others, they are continually open to helping to achieve the organisation’s goals.

Defining OurselvesThrough Business

‘All About Maputo’ is also the leading African based digital media source of news and content, an online magazine and website, daily news updates and weekly e-newsletter about women.

Presenting our information through analysis, reviews, photos, feature articles, interviews, case studies, critiques, surveys, research and commentaries, ‘All About Maputo’ is a daily exploration of the intersection of human rights, business, leadership, finance and politics. We also report on a broad range of women-owned businesses and companies in Africa from across strategic areas such as stock information, financial information, business leadership, IT, science and technology, energy, banking, marketing and finance, Foreign Direct Investment (FDI), shipping, aviation, executive education, life style, business travel and many more – especially as it relates to the AU’s 2063 agenda.

Aiming to be the official one-stop directory for women owned and run businesses in Africa, a major strategic objective of ‘All About Maputo’, is to inspire and empower potential and current women entrepreneurs to reach out and benefit from the full resources, business environment and information which may not be readily apparent and available to them.

You can email us at [email protected]

The African Union has taken other initiatives to demonstrate its commitment to eliminating injustices against women in Africa. The most recent was the ‘10thAfrican Union Gender Pre-Summit to Discuss the Impact of Corruption on Women’s Empowerment and Related Issues’.

Other examples include the African Women’s Decade (2010-2020), adopting the African Union Gender Policy and creating a fund for African women. In addition, the AU declared 2016 the year of human rights with a particular focus on the rights of women.

Fifteen years ago, the AU adopted the Maputo Protocol under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights to boost the protection of women. Its implementation was meant to be overseen by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights. The process was meant to be monitored by the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Women in Africa.

What We Do- Our Mission

‘All About Maputo’ is AU Watch’s weekly online and physical newspaper, reporting, commenting, analysingstories about women and girls in Africa and providing women’s perspectives on public policy,especially as those stories relate to the AU’s programs on women.

It is also a forum for publishing original research, theoretically sophisticated, and empirically grounded in the field of gender studies, with a focus on the complex theoretical and empirical relationship between women and the particular, and diverse, national and transnational contexts of Africa.

‘All About Maputo’ seeks to remind all women in Africa of the unfinished business of promoting and protecting women’s rights in Africa.‘All About Maputo’ reports the stories of Africa’s women and girls to create a more equitable Africa as envisioned by the Maputo Protocol.

Our Vision

An Africa that honours, respects and supports the lives of women and girls.

Our Values

To uphold the values of journalism by seeking the truth and reporting it, acting independently and minimizing harm with accountability and transparency.


We:
• Seek to inspire and empower women in Africa, as espoused by the Maputo Protocol — particularly those historically underserved by the media — with information, community and resources they need to be equal participants in our society.

• Monitor AU policy and practice on gender issues in the region.

• Are a free-to-consume and free-to-republish journalism that reimagines politics and policy coverage through a gender lens.

• Give evidence-based reporting that exposes gender inequity and injustice, and reveals surprising and original stories on the issues that most deeply affect women’s lives, from violence, to politics, reproductive rights, leadership and opportunities

• Are a digital platform for regional conversations and community building, and bring our readers into direct contact with Africa’s policy chiefs.

• A newsroom that reflects the socio-political and economic diversity of women all over Africa and is devoted to hearing their voices.

Why We Do What We Do at ‘All About Maputo’?

We want to see anAfrica where every woman and girl has their chance to do well. Our broader missionis to inspire action and to contribute in making Africa the most inclusive business environment in the world for African women by defining, analysing and showcasing how African women are creating a massive shift in the way business is conducted. Together with you, we want to define, analyse and showcase how women and other under-represented groups in Africa are creating an enormous shift in the way business and politics are being conducted. We provide the information, tools and expertise needed to accelerate such trend.

Creating a Business Empire For Africa’s Women

Connecting and Informing

All About Maputo should be seen as platform that aims to educate, connect, inform, and tell the stories of the women business communities in Africa, helping women-owned and run businesses stay up-to-date with the most fundamental operational issues in a disruptive and competitive global market. It is, however, more than a media platform that provides business news and information, All About Maputois a start-up incubator where participants are given one-to-one attention, training and coaching in entrepreneurship, access to networks of support, investors, and most importantly connections with mentors.

All About Maputo, we understand that these types of support are necessary for all start-ups. However, we also know that they are more difficult to access for women entrepreneurs, so we provide comprehensive business solutions – like business management advice, corporate / business coaching & training, marketing solutions, human resources, consultancy / administrative solutions and e-commerce services under one roof.All About Maputoincentivise and prepare young women to take up studies in Start-ups via financial support, bolstered after-school programmes and opportunities for internships.

In conjunction with AU Watch shop we also, harness the power of technology to deliver innovative, convenient and affordable online goods and services to consumers. All About Maputo e-commerce site also specializes in products for women, facilitating consumer-to-consumer and business-to-consumer sales through its website.

So, who is it for?

All About Maputo was established as a ‘tool’ for the women in Africa. It is, however, a ‘Must-Read’ for business leaders, policymakers, institutions, academics, and for anyone thinking of going into any type of business. It is also useful to anyone seeking the latest information on women-owned businesses in Africa and further afield. Students, researchers, and interested observers will find the contributions of recognized experts especially valuable. All About Maputo is also highly recommended for other African entrepreneurs living and working in the diaspora.

Are we there yet? – the state of women business and the path to wealth, key drivers, trends, and influences in the market?
Africa’s women population challenges are a multi-billion-pound opportunity. It’s no surprise that the new generation of successful entrepreneurs in Africa are problem solvers. AU Watch research shows that African women are tired of waiting for corporate Africa to give them the pay and opportunities they need. Our research shows that there is an upward trend of women businesses, with more moving away from niche services such as hairdressing and catering, and into the mainstream, especially the IT sector.

Why Do They Exist?

All About Maputo was set up because many mainstream magazines do not discuss issues that are important to the women community in Africa. Mainstream magazines rarely feature pictures of hard-working African women – something very important to any minority group.
All About Maputo is a great tool to use by advertisers to better target their marketing campaigns. Knowing that all the readers of a magazine are women, enables a marketer to develop a campaign that solely speaks to this audience – which, in turn, enhances the effectiveness of the ad. This type of marketing, often referred to as targeted marketing, is used by major corporations to target different groups of people based on ethnicity, age, sex, and other demographics

Reach All the Women Media Outlets in the UK
Connect to all Women Newspapers, Magazines, TV and radio stations for just $2.00 a month,with nearly 2,00 journalists and bloggers at nearly 200 media outlets

Who We Are

Meet our Staff and our Editorial Team.
With writers and readers around the world All About Maputo audience stretches from Cairo to Pretoria and even in the diaspora.


We Need Writers

We are seeking out freelance writers from around the world to write on every topic–regional politics, religion, economics, health, science, sustainability, education, sports, legislation–and commission them to write 800-word news articles for distribution each day to our subscribers and for posting on our Web site. We rely on the best practices of journalism and have gained enormous credibility by doing excellent journalism each day.


For more information on what we pay, click here.