African Soroptimists have made significant progress towards
the establishment of a Soroptimist International Africa Federation at a
Conference in Pretoria, South Africa (20-22 March).

“The Conference has been exciting and enriching and I am
delighted that key resolutions have been passed”, says Soroptimist International
President Ann Garvie. Read President Ann’s full message.

Soroptimists from 20 of the 29 African countries with SI
clubs attended the Conference, along with International President Ann and SI Federation
Presidents Ulla Madsen (SI Europe) and Margaret Oldroyd (SI Great Britain and Ireland).
The event was hosted by the
Soroptimist International Southern Africa Network (SISAN) in partnership with
the Taskforce of the Proposed SI African Federation.

Soroptimist International is currently divided into four Federations (SI of the
Americas, SI Europe, SI of Great Britain and Ireland, SI South West Pacific),
with the 29 African countries with SI clubs represented by SIGBI or SIE.
Discussions about the establishment of an Africa Federation started in the late
1980s and in 2012 the Future Africa Federation Task Group was established and set
out a plan to make the new Federation a reality by 2017.

“As International President it is my belief that an African Federation will
be chartered within thirty years of its initial conception and that such will
enrich our organisation and will influence the strategies and the future of the
Soroptimist International Board with the inclusion of a fifth Federation”,
reports President Ann.

“The outcome of the Conference should instil in every member of our global
organisation great excitement and recommitment of the values of being a
Soroptimist.”

Read
President Ann’s report of the meeting

Blog (June 2013): Chinwe Ezenwa-Mbah, then Chair of the Future Africa
Federation Task Group, writes about the process and benefits of setting up
the new Federation.

Visit
the Future Africa Federation Conference website