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Redefining Power: Faith Communities as Agents of Gender Justice, Social Transformation and Inclusive Development

Hosted by IFAGE International in partnership with Imago Dei Fund

13-16 August 2027 · Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

The conference begins in

13-16 August 2027

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Days

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Hours

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Minutes

Key facts

500+· Delegates
20+· Countries
6· Thematic tracks
Research· Peer-reviewed papers
Side sessions· Partner-led spaces
Convenings· Movement-building forums

A working platform for faith, scholarship, community practice, and policy.

Every two years, the Pan-African Faith and Gender Justice Conference brings together the people doing this work across Africa - from the academy, the community, the policy room, and the field - to think together, share evidence, and advance the continental agenda on gender justice.

The 6th edition, hosted at Makerere University in partnership with Imago Dei Fund, is the largest and most ambitious yet. It is not a conference where people sit and listen. It is a working platform - where ideas are tested, research is shared, partnerships are built, and commitments are made.

Why it matters

Faith communities can shift norms at scale.

Delegates will exchange theology, evidence, community practice, and policy insight while shaping stronger commitments for gender justice across Africa.

IFAGE Pan-African Conference banner

Six tracks. Find yours.

Submit your abstract to the track that best fits your work. Each track has sub-themes to guide your submission.

Track 01

Theology, Sacred Texts & Gender Justice

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  • Re-reading sacred texts for liberation and dignity
  • African theological perspectives on gender and power
  • Interfaith dialogue on gender justice
  • Preaching, pastoral care, and gender-based violence

Track 02

GBV Prevention & Community Response

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  • Faith-based first response to gender-based violence
  • Community paralegal models and survivor accompaniment
  • Masculinity, power, and GBV prevention
  • Survivor recovery: psychosocial, legal, and economic pathways

Track 03

Economic Empowerment & Community Resilience

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  • Savings groups, table banking, and community economic models
  • Market systems and livelihood programming
  • The economic roots of gender inequality
  • SRHR, health, and economic resilience

Track 04

Youth, Masculinity & Gender Transformation

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  • Positive masculinity: evidence, curriculum, and practice
  • Adolescent programming and gender socialisation
  • Young men as gender justice advocates
  • Schools, sports, and gender norm change

Track 05

Policy, Advocacy & Continental Movement Building

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  • National and county-level gender policy
  • Faith institutions and public accountability
  • Building coalitions across sectors and borders
  • From evidence to policy: what works and what does not

Track 06

Academic Research Track

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  • Peer-reviewed paper presentations
  • Research posters and community evidence
  • Doctoral and early-career researcher presentations
  • Methodologies in faith and gender research

Speaker announcements are coming.

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To Be Announced

Keynote Speaker

Illustrated placeholder for a male conference speaker

To Be Announced

Theologian

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To Be Announced

Research Presenter

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To Be Announced

Practice Leader

If you work on gender justice, this conference has a conversation for you.

From the community, the university, the congregation, the clinic, the courtroom, or the policy office - the 6th Pan-African Faith and Gender Justice Conference has a track, a session, and a conversation for you.

Register Interest

Researchers & Academics

Submit a paper, present your findings, and engage with a peer community across 20+ countries. All accepted papers are published in the official proceedings.

Practitioners & Community Organisations

Share what is working from the field. Host a side session. Connect with partners. Take evidence and tools back to your communities.

Faith Leaders & Institutions

Engage with theology, practice, and policy alongside peers from across the continent. The conference creates space for honest conversation about how faith communities can lead - not follow - on gender justice.

Policymakers & Development Partners

Engage with the evidence. Meet the organisations doing the work. Shape the continental commitments that come out of the Kampala Declaration.

Limuru 2025 - By the Numbers

220+

Registered delegates

17

Countries represented

5

Editions of the conference since 2017

2,800+

Leaders trained through IFAGE's programmes

Country list from Limuru 2025 will be added when the final confirmed list is supplied.

The movement already has momentum.

Delegates gathered at the Limuru 2025 conference
IFAGE conference banner and delegates
Conference speaker at the podium
Research presentation at the conference
Delegate recognition moment
Conference participants in conversation

Got something to say? Bring it to Kampala.

We welcome submissions from scholars, practitioners, community researchers, theologians, and advocates. If your work touches gender justice - whether from the field, the academy, the congregation, or the policy room - there is a track for it. Accepted submissions are presented at the conference and published in the official proceedings.

No file upload is required here. Use the online abstract form to share your title, track, author or institution, presentation type, and summary.
1

Call opens

1 October 2026

The abstract portal opens. Submission guidelines and templates available from this date.

2

Submission deadline

31 March 2027

Final date for abstracts, practice notes, research posters, and case studies.

3

Review period

April-May 2027

Independent panel review across all six tracks.

4

Conference

13-16 August 2027

Accepted contributors present at Makerere University and are published in the proceedings.

Join the Review Panel

The quality of this conference depends on the quality of its review. We are building an independent panel of scholars, practitioners, and community researchers to assess submissions across all six tracks between April and May 2027.

Apply to Be a Reviewer

Academics and researchers working on gender, community development, or related fields

Experienced practitioners with evidence from the field

Theologians and faith leaders with scholarly grounding

Policy and advocacy professionals

Host a Side Session

The conference programme includes dedicated slots for organisations to host their own focused conversations alongside the main programme. Side sessions are open to all registered delegates - a powerful way to share learning, convene your network, or advance a specific agenda within the broader conference community.

Submit a concept note.

Sessions run 60-90 minutes in any format: panel, workshop, roundtable, or demonstration. Use the form to share the topic, format, audience, and facilitators. Deadline: 30 June 2027.

Submit a Side Session Concept Note

Media Accreditation

Apply for Media Accreditation

The 6th Pan-African Faith and Gender Justice Conference welcomes journalists, photographers, documentary filmmakers, and media organisations covering gender justice, community development, and social change across Africa.

Apply for Media Accreditation

Access

Accredited media will have access to press briefings, select plenary sessions, and the official press gallery.

Consent

All photography and filming is subject to the conference media policy and participant consent protocols. Application deadline: 30 June 2027.

Travel and venue guidance

Venue

Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda.

Travel

Travel, accommodation, and visa guidance will be published as conference logistics are confirmed.

Delegations

Group and institutional delegation questions can be routed through registration interest.

Sponsor the 6th edition.

Join the organisations investing in the continental gender justice movement. A full sponsorship guide - including branding options, exhibition details, and partnership benefits - is available on request.

Platinum

KES 500,000

Premier naming rights, keynote presentation slot, prime exhibition space, 6 delegate passes, logo on all conference materials and communications throughout the event.

Enquire

Gold

KES 300,000

Lead branding, exhibition space, 4 delegate passes, logo on printed programme, conference website, and all on-site signage.

Enquire

Silver

KES 150,000

Featured branding, 2 delegate passes, logo on the conference website and select printed materials.

Enquire

Bronze

KES 75,000

Logo on the conference website and printed programme, 1 delegate pass.

Enquire

Conference partners and supporters.

Official Partner

Makerere University · Others to be confirmed

Co-Conveners

IFAGE International · Imago Dei Fund

Sponsors

Become a Sponsor

Eight years. A growing movement.

2027

6th Conference

Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda

Hosted in partnership with Imago Dei Fund. 500+ delegates projected. 20+ countries.

2025

5th Conference

St. Paul's University, Limuru, Kenya

220 delegates, 17 countries

2023

4th Conference

Nairobi, Kenya

Continental faith and gender justice convening

2021

3rd Conference

Online / hybrid

Movement-building during pandemic disruption

2019

2nd Conference

Kenya

Expanded regional participation

2017

1st Conference

Nairobi, Kenya

Inaugural edition