Launch of the African Women Leaders Network 2017, with UN Women and the African Union
“To be a woman is to be leader.”
In a vigilant call to action, Madam Otiko Afisah Djaba, Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection from Ghana, offered opening remarks at the inaugural meeting of the Africa Women Leaders Forum on June 2nd.
With groundbreaking language, Madam Djaba set the pace for the first-annual meeting, proudly describing the power and potential of gender equality on the African continent through sustainable development, partnerships and global accountability.
“What we do here today will define the African woman of 2063 and beyond,” Madam Djaba said. “This is a call to action that involves redefining, reframing and changing our role in the sustainable development of Africa as game changers. We will not be behind.”
Financed by the German Mission to the UN and organized by the African Union and UN Women, the forum was positioned at the crossroads of two international policy frameworks— the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Africa Agenda for 2063.
In an interview prior to the Africa Women Leaders Forum, Hajbouha Zoubeir, Vice President of Morocco’s Phosboucraa Foundation, offered a comparative analysis of the two agendas. She explained that both initiatives are designed to be action-based, offering concrete measures that prioritize development.
The difference is that the UN’s 2030 Agenda aims at growing structures, policies and programs that are already in place, while the Africa Agenda for 2063 is centrally focused on gender equality.
“Africa in 2063 will definitely see the achievement of gender parity where women will fill 50% of senior positions in the government and the private sector. It is indeed a catalyst that will enable the reflection around the implementation of appropriate mechanisms to fulfil this goal,” Zoubeir said.
According to Zoubeir, pairing the agendas requires a “coordinated strategy” between the AU and the UN, in order to expedite growth and mitigate conflicts across the continent. She described an actionable exchange of best practices and case studies from women’s participation in civic action: “It can involve many different models: direct participation at the negotiation table, observer status, consultations, inclusive commissions, problem-solving workshops, public decision-making and mass action.”
For further discussion at the Africa Women Leaders Forum, Zoubeir also recommended the launch of an African fund for women entrepreneurship, which could directly produce results in terms of women’s empowerment and development— from leadership to capacity building to economic independence.
The June 2nd forum featured 80 leaders in public and private sectors, as well as various industries across the African continent. Nabila Freidji, a Moroccan entrepreneur and chair of International Institutions Relations at CGEM, the Moroccan Employers Union, spoke to her vision of entrepreneurship and the impact of the Africa Agenda for 2063 in the continent’s work market.
“An African transformation requires a new gender narrative. African businesses can only be competitive with the full participation of women at all levels. We need to create a new breed of women entrepreneurs that will allow Africa to meet the challenges of the fourth industrial revolution,” she said, building on her experience on the ground.
“Our goal is to transform these challenges into opportunities. We want to change the scale; women are micro-everything: micro-credit, micro-entreprise... We are gathering all of our forces to leverage the drivers that Africa offers. We need to restructure our economy in order to scale up the solidarity economy and bridge the educational divide. Concrete measures we can take are facilitating access to financing through a fund for women (The African Development Bank is currently launching AFAWA, a fund dedicated to women in Africa), expanding capacity building programs, and supporting women to take ownership of their potential,” Freidji added.
While many speakers called for solutions leveraging economic freedom and empowerment, Hervé Ladsous, head of peacekeeping at the UN, focused on a different issue. Addressing officials, ambassadors and ministers, he stated, “We need more female civil and military personnel. They make a big difference on the ground, so please share the message with your governments.”
At the conclusion of the inaugural forum, speakers were seen celebrating— waving flags from their respective countries, beaming with pride. The strategies brought to the table offered a firm foundation for the Africa Agenda for 2063 and its place beside the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. By creating a space that prioritizes collaboration, knowledge sharing, and international support, the vision of gender equality has become more attainable for the African Union.
Echoing Madam Otiko Afisah Djaba, the 2017 Africa Women Leaders Forum marked a starting point in a continental transformation: “The new African woman is a helper, a shareholder, and an equal stakeholder in the building and growing of Africa. The time is now.”