Blog
Published in 2022
“When you’re alone, it’s easy to knock you down, but with the backing of so many people, we become harder to break. We are stronger in numbers.”
– Participant at ISDAO’s 2025 Regional Partners Forum
In November 2025, ISDAO convened its first Regional Partners Forum, bringing together 50+ grantee-partners from across West Africa in a context marked by profound changes for LGBTQI movements in the sub-region and a hardening of the legal, political, social, and security environments. The rise of repressive laws and policies, the intensification of anti-gender and anti-LGBTQI rhetoric, and a growing wave of political instability have created an environment where decades of movement progress have either been rolled back or are being threatened.
The 3-day forum brought together LGBTQI activists from Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Mali, Nigeria, Senegal, and Togo to reflect, share experiences, learn from one another, and define common strategic priorities.
The conversations, reflections, and insights that emerged from these three days are documented in our latest report,“Together: Learning, Resisting, and Imagining Our Movement.”
Envisioned as both an archival document and a strategic tool, the report highlights the state of LGBTQI organizing in West Africa as told by those present, regional trends and priorities, and strategic directions for the movement.
What you'll find in the report:
- Country murals reflecting the state of the LGBTQI movement and organizing in the sub-region
- Analyses and collective mapping of emerging regional needs and priorities
- Reflections on building and strengthening a West African regional LGBTQI movement
