Gender focal points from 26 African countries are expected to meet in Kigali today in a workshop aimed at increasing their knowledge on priority gender issues in the region. The workshop organized by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), will also look into ways of increasing common understanding of priority areas of UNFPA support to gender equality and women empowerment programmes and share practical experiences and lessons learnt in gender programming in order to promote the adaptation of effective strategies. The 26 African countries participating in the meeting include Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Côte d’Ivoire, Gabon, Guinea-Conakry, Ethiopia, Eritrea, Lesotho, Kenya, Malawi, Mauritania, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Rwanda the host. Ends