Gender equality is not the big deal -Adesina

Adesina

The 2019 Global Gender Summit, the first to be held on the continent, kicked off on Monday, November 25 in Kigali, Rwanda with a strong call to surge ahead on gender issues and move from commitment to action.

Africa’s only female President, Sahle-Work Zewde of Ethiopia, said Ethiopia’s parliament is one of the two on the continent with over 50% gender parity in seats, and that Ethiopian women currently hold key ministerial roles in defense and national security for the first time.

Despite their huge advances, however, the work has just started, she added.

She made the disclosures during the opening plenary of the summit, a biennial event organized by the multilateral development banks bringing together leaders from government, development institutions, private sector, civil society and the academia.

“There’s good momentum for women and African women, but the work has just started. There’s no template to follow. We (women) can deliver, but we can deliver differently.”

President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who officially opened the summit, described gender equality as “real commonsense.”

Rwanda leads in gender representation in parliament with 61% of its parliamentarians being women — the highest in the world. In addition, half of all ministerial positions are held by women, just like in Ethiopia.

“We got it from the beginning that there’s a lot of work to do and made investments to ensure that women are at the center of development. We’re making sure that narrowing this gender gap is everyone’s responsibility,” he declared.

Echoing them, Chairperson, African Union Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, said the AU’s Agenda 2063 was deliberate about gender parity.

“What we are telling our heads of states is to take the bull by the horns. This discrimination is political, economic and social. It’s politically incorrect, unjustifiable socially. Not to take (gender) into account is a real waste.”

In Africa, 70% of women are excluded financially. The continent has a $42bn financing gap between men and women. And women, who are the majority of farmers, face a financing gap of close to $16bn.

“The challenges aren’t just about gender. They are about under-representation and lack of empowerment of women,” African Development Bank President Akinwunmi Adesina said. “A smarter world must invest in women and girls. Let’s be smart, and let’s be wise. Women are the best investment any society can make.”

The AfDB is doing its part to transform the financing landscape for women with the launch of the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA). AFAWA aims to mobilize $3bn of new lending by banks and financial institutions for women in Africa. G7 leaders approved a package totaling $251m in support of AFAWA in August.

Welcoming the conference participants, Rwanda’s Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Soline Nyirahabimana, said the Kigali Conference Center was set to glow orange in honor of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. The 16 days kick off on November 25 each year which marks the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and runs until December 10.

GGS 2019 is attended by the first ladies of Rwanda and Kenya as well as representatives of the heads of state of Gabon, Mali, Senegal, Chad and the King of Morocco. Also in attendance are ministers of genders from Niger, Somalia, Senegal, South Sudan, Tunisia and Libya.

The summit runs from 25 to 27 November under the theme: Unpacking Constraints To Gender Equality.