The Manchester–Nairobi partnership driving gender equality

02 Nov 2026

Collective leadership, shared learning and inclusive cultures across borders

Colleagues from the University of Manchester and partner institutions across Nairobi have completed a year‑long collaboration advancing gender equality in higher education, supported by the British Council’s Going Global Gender Equality Partnership. Led collaboratively by Professor Olive Mugenda (Kenya lead), Professor Rachel Cowen (Manchester lead) and women leaders and colleagues across both contexts, the partnership centred on belonging, collective responsibility and the shared challenge of women’s under‑representation in senior leadership.

The programme was designed with, not simply for, its participants. Leadership development for 24 women grew through their collective networks into a cross‑continental community involving more than 1,000 girls, women and allies from over 18 countries. Online sessions, reflective workshops, retreats in Manchester and Nairobi, and an international SDG5 symposium created space to exchange perspectives, strengthen solidarity and support authentic, ambitious leadership.

Professor Rachel Cowen, University Academic Lead for Gender and Sexual Orientation Equality:

"For me, the most powerful aspect of the partnership was seeing what became possible when women leaders created space together to reflect, learn across contexts and build trust. Olive and I shared a determination to move beyond conventional leadership development, but the programme’s strength came from the insight, experience and leadership of the many women and allies who shaped it with us."

Collective leadership, shared learning and lasting impact

Reciprocity was the foundation of the work. Partners across Manchester and Nairobi shaped priorities, exchanged practice and adapted activities together in response to different institutional and socio‑economic realities. In person engagement deepened relationships and enabled honest conversations that virtual spaces alone could not replicate.

Professor Olive Mugenda, the first woman to serve as Vice-Chancellor of a public university in East Africa, brought pioneering leadership and a long record of mentoring women across Africa and beyond. Her contribution sat alongside the expertise and generosity of programme participants, facilitators and institutional leaders, whose different perspectives turned a shared ambition into collective action.

The partnership generated wide-ranging contributions, including a British Council gender equality event in Nairobi, a Women in Higher Education Network event hosted by the University of Manchester, a peer-reviewed publication, and creative outputs such as artwork, career stories and the co-written I am a Woman poem. Together, these outputs brought the partnership’s collective insights and experiences into wider conversations about gender equality.

The work continues beyond the original project. The SDG5 symposium will run biannually, with the next event in February 2028, while ongoing research is informing more ethical and equitable Africa–UK higher education partnerships. The networks, trust and collective leadership built by partners and participants will shape its next phase.

Alice Chilver, WHEN CEO:

“The partnership demonstrated real generosity and a sophisticated understanding of how international collaboration can be made visible, credible and influential within the wider UK sector.”

The project demonstrates how gender equality can be embedded within internationalisation rather than treated as a separate activity. By connecting leadership development, research, institutional learning and long-term relationship building, partners created a collaboration based on reciprocity, shared responsibility and mutual value. In doing so, the Manchester–Nairobi partnership offers a practical model for delivering Manchester 2035 and our new EDI Framework 'A place where you matter' through inclusive global engagement, equitable partnership and lasting social impact.