The Africa Reproductive Justice Litigation Fund
Introduction
The African Reproductive Justice Litigation Fund is a continental funding mechanism dedicated to strengthening reproductive justice litigation and related capacity across Africa. It recognises that violations of sexual and reproductive health and rights do not occur in isolation. They are embedded in historical continuities, political economy, social hierarchy, and cultural regulation that shape bodily autonomy, access to care, and exposure to harm. The Fund therefore advances an approach that integrates socio-economic conditions, gendered power relations, and racialised structures into litigation design, strategy, and remedy.
The Fund supports Indigenous organisations and key individuals as principal actors in shaping jurisprudence and accountability. This is a deliberate institutional choice grounded in legitimacy, contextual precision, and sustainability of legal gains. Its work is coordinated through the Africa Reproductive Justice Litigation Alliance, which convenes actors across jurisdictions to strengthen collective strategy, peer learning, and regional coherence. Implementation is carried through a structured subgranting portfolio, complemented through research and documentation that reinforce case development, evidentiary depth, and engagement with national, regional, and continental accountability mechanisms.
Through catalytic and adaptable subgrants, the Fund strengthens strategic and public interest litigation, legal assistance, and focused research and documentation. Emphasis remains on context responsive litigation strategies conceived and executed within African jurisdictions. The objective is not confined to courtroom outcomes alone. It extends to consolidating a resilient reproductive justice litigation ecosystem capable of shaping norms, influencing institutional practice, and securing measurable improvements in sexual and reproductive health and rights across the continent.
