We were lucky to host a Special Session about AfNWA at the Annual Conference of the African Astronomical Society. This gave us a lot of food for thought and input from participants. It also cemented our conviction of being open to anyone wishing to join the network, not just women. Below is the description of the session.
African Network of Women in Astronomy (AfNWA) has been established recently under the African Astronomical Society (AfAS). Astronomy and space sciences are experiencing significant growth in Africa. For the benefit of all, with AfNWA initiative we would like to guarantee female participation at all levels of these new and important developments, to improve the status of women in science in Africa where currently in most of the countries the number of female researchers is < 25% (see UNESCO 2019 Women in Science report), and to use astronomy to inspire more girls to do STEM. AfNWA aims to connect and give more visibility to all women working in astronomy and related fields in Africa. However, AfNWA objectives cannot be achieved without the full support and participation of the whole society, independently on gender and affiliation/country. During this special session we will go through the previous work and current status of AfNWA. We will also discuss on the list of planned activities and on the best way for Network to move forward.