The Gender is My Agenda pre meetings to the African Union Summit and the UN CSW meetings highlighted that women are an untapped resources that can be an economic growth accelerator throughout Africa. Women are often in unpaid work positions where their full potential have not been harnesses due to challenges in trade, restrictions on land property rights, barriers to accessing finances with limited products and resources. Women are often faced with harassment and gender based violence in the work place.
The conference emphasised the import role that the AfCFTA can play as a catalyst for the digital transformation as a driver to inter-africa trade as e-commerse has tremendous potential too increase financial inclusion. Women’s economic empowerment is important for gender equity and achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. There is a need for integrated and collaborative approaches for the integration of women traders.
The youth must use their skills to support their elders in accessing digital spaces, there is tremendous opportunity for financial growth for youth and rural older women if we work together. Other issues that need to be address are the freedom and safety of movement throughout the content and across existing boarders. A recurring conversation was the reminder of ” Who created the African borders? We are not able to access different countries because we need visas to travel throughout my own motherland. We must break those barriers. We must education ourselves with the polices and harmonise the quality assurances and standards. “
Other conversations reminded us that ” we cannot talk about the barriers and things like education and health if women’s bodies are not their own and treated as needing specific attention and health polices. – ” You can’t pay attention to one and not pay attention to the other.”
The GIMAC Founder reminded the audience to “Claim yourself your space. We need to write our stories. We must be with the women who are suffering. We need to support South Sudan and all the women who are in conflict. We need to be together. We don’t divide. We are one” – GIMAC Founder
Members of our YME Ethiopia family attend the meeting. One of the outcomes from this meeting was the establishment of the YME Bahamas Women in Leadership Fellowship currently awarded to Melat Yohannas ( last on the right). Melat is working closely with the YME Bahamas CEO to embolden the role that YME plays at the intersection of women, youth, sustainable development, and financial inclusion.