Guardian

WITH a renewed affirmation of Africa as the next world’s economic powerhouse and women as the ace, notable leaders across strategic strata of the private and public sectors have reiterated the need for greater attention to the critical role that African women could play in the economic development of the continent.

This observation was made when more than 100 African business men and women leaders from business, government, civil society and media who converged in Lagos at the Supporting Public Advocacy for Regional Competitiveness (SPARC) Programme and Forum, organised by Vital Voices Global Partnership and Women in Management, Business and Public Service (WIMBIZ), declared that achieving full economic growth and social development in the continent depended largely on how well the potential of women could be harnessed.

The participants who spoke on the theme: “Women’s Leadership: Why Africa is Rising,” said that women had emerged to become “a strongest asset” because of their proven abilities to efficiently manage institutions where they worked or led as well as managing family resources.

“Creating opportunities for women to participate in the economy will improve their earning potential and assist families to move out of poverty and contribute to the overall economy,” former Vice President (Africa), World Bank, Mrs. Obiageli Ezekwesili, said in her keynote speech.

“In Africa as well as Nigeria specifically, women constitute half of the population and their under-representation in social, political and economic spheres must be addressed if Africa is to leverage fully off the promise and potential that they hold. In most African countries, only about a third or 30 per cent of women participate in economic activity, often in very limited ways.

“Therefore, any development process that ignores the life-chances of half the population cannot address the problem of poverty and the crisis of sustainability. This is why at this critical juncture of global change, it is a necessity for the development process to fully incorporate an agenda for women’s empowerment by including women’s realities in the fullest sense,” she added.

Ezekwesili lamented that there were still many cultural and social barriers in the way of African women that must be removed and called on governments and other stakeholders to do everything possible to empower women through improved access to credits, qualitative education, good health, equal job opportunities and increased participation in decision making at both corporate and political spheres so that they could play greater role in socio-economic development.

President/CEO of Vital Voices Global Partnership, Alyse Nelson said through the SPARC programme which was established in 2012, her organisation has consistently advocated for increased women’s economic engagement in the labour force and entrepreneurship, while simultaneously creating a more enabling environment for women’s economic engagement and greater poverty alleviation in Africa.

“Vital Voices recognises that women are powerful engines of economic growth and social change. Through SPARC, Vital Voices and partner businesswomen’s associations are working together to enable women to fully participate in their economies,” she said.

Nelson added that during the targeted four-year SPARC initiative, the partner association in the four priority countries – Nigeria, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda – would be supported to develop robust economic advocacy campaigns targeting a relevant barrier to women’s entrepreneurship in their countries. She said the organisation works in close partnership with the Africa Businesswomen’s Network comprising WIMBIZ (Nigeria), Kenya Association of Women Business Owners (KAWBO), Uganda Women Entrepreneurs Association Limited (UWEAL) and Businesswomen’s Association of South Africa (BWASA).

In her welcome speech, WIMBIZ chairperson, Adeola Azeez, said part of her association’s advocacy campaign to empower Nigerian women was to increase the number of women in economic leadership by promoting qualified women to fill 30 per cent bank board seats and 40 per cent of top bank management positions in accordance with the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) policy by January 1, 2015.

“The SPARC program through WIMBIZ is using advocacy tools to sensitize the general public and seek possible legislative change to deal with on the issue women representation on the socio-economic decision making processes in Nigeria. WIMBIZ will partner with other advocacy groups, media and consultants who would support the expansion of socio-political and economic space for women in Nigeria,” she said.

The SPARC Forum, which featured two panels made up of eminent persons, also examined the value of women’s leadership in Africa’s private sector and the impact of government investment in women. Among the panelists were Management and Strategy Consultant, Mr. Adedotun Sulaimon; former Minister of Agriculture of Uganda/ Founder of Uganda Culture Community Centre, Victoria Sekitoleko; CEO/ Founder, STRATEGIES!, Cameroon, Kah Walla; Project Manager, Transformation, Strategy& Alignment, Nedbank Group Limited, South Africa, Suheima Mohamed; Co-owner, Fuse Project Management and Consulting Limited, South Africa, Samali Bosa; and Managing Director, Satima Consultants and Advocate High Court of Kenya, Jane Kiragu. Senior Program Manager, Africa, Vital Voices Global Partnership, Celena Green also featured prominently at the forum.