Minister of state for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Dr Ramatu Aliyu, said poverty, social exclusion, distance from school facilities, and poor quality education as well as gender disparities are factors working against women’s leadership roles in Africa.
The minister stated this at the African Women in Leadership Organisation Global Patrons 2022 open year ball, held in Abuja, shortly after she was conferred as life patron of the organisation.
Aliyu who served as the special guest of honour at the event advocated that to get more women in leadership roles, a huge investment must be committed towards education, health, and economic opportunities for women and girls, stressing that Africa needs women to come into leadership roles at a faster rate and higher percentages than they are today.
She called on government at all levels to ensure that women are at the forefront of leading the economic growth Africa desires, be part of policymaking and implementation. She tasked women organisations to work towards the agenda of gender and social inclusion to protect women and female children in various countries.
“Having more women in leadership has a significant impact on the bottom line. Women are coming into leadership at a much lower rate than men. This is where we must begin to change the narratives.
“We have to step up the rate at which women are coming into leadership roles. To achieve this goal, we have to increase the number of women in the pipeline. We need women to come into leadership roles at a faster rate and higher percentages than they are today,” she said.
Earlier, the vice president of Liberia, Dr Jewel Howard-Taylor, who chaired the occasion identified women as change agents in Africa, just as she called on women to continually engage the families, communities, and nations to make Africa a better place.
She, however, commended the Liberian government for giving women opportunities to serve in sensitive positions, while acknowledging men as an important force in driving women’s agenda in the continent.
