African Women Have The Potential To Transform The Continent, Says AfDB Special Gender Envoy
The African Development Bank’s (AfDB) Special Envoy on Gender (SEOG), represented by Geraldine J. Fraser-Moleketi, during the concluded Pre-Summit Ministerial Consultative Meeting on Gender that took place on January 20-22 had special message. The envoy said that African women have the capability to be agents of change for the transformation of Africa on all levels.
“Promoting women’s empowerment and gender equality must be placed at the heart of the efforts of the AfDB to promote inclusive growth in Africa. Women continue to play a central role in putting an end to extreme poverty, promoting education and achieving economic growth across the continent,” said Geraldine.
The statement by SEOG comes against the backdrop of a declaration by the African Union (AU) that the year 2015 will be the Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063. The AU declaration coincides with the 20th anniversary of the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and its Platform for Action (1995), the 5th Anniversary of the African Women’s Decade (2010-2020), the 15th Anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 and the finalization of the Post 2015 development agenda.
SEOG reiterated AfDB’s strong belief in Africa as a whole, and women being a powerful force for growth and development for the continent. AfDB says that women make very important contributions to the economy as workers and entrepreneurs, and to the family setup as a whole.
However, they face many challenges, as many African countries limit women’s growth in terms of access to property, labor market discrimination and other business obstacles unique to women entrepreneurs. According to AfDB, removing such obstacles will not only lead to women achieving their full potential but also many countries will experience an increase in growth.
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