X-raying the Banjul African Women Conference

There is an ongoing mass revolution in Africa, women in Africa are up with today‘s changing times, and they aren‘t waiting on the wing of time anymore l but are fully in control of the hand of time. Under the canopy of the African Women Conference, Dr Jumai Ahmadu is leading this movement. Prominent in her quest, is the fact that women in Africa must be included in the aspirations of life. These include considerations for equality, fairness and affirmative treaties. It is on the heel of these, that Gambia recently held host to women across the African sun region to chart a course for their rights and aspirations.

The Banjul Conference which is the 6th edition of the Africa Women Conference took place at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Centre in Banjul, the Gambia bringing together women from across African countries to share knowledge and network for the common good of all. These calls are amplified by the most influential voices in African women’s leadership—from education and politics, health and technology, entertainment and the law.

The Convener, Dr Jumai Ahmadu, said one of the cardinal objectives of the conference is to help African women domesticate ideas and projects in their home countries in manner that will be sustainable and beneficial. Dissecting this year‘s theme, „Accelerating Women‘s Economic Empowerment and Inclusion Through the Media, ICT and Entertainment Industries“, speakers and participants reached certain vital conclusions.

Leading the pack of clarion callers, the wife of Gambian President, H.E Madam Fatoumatta Bah Barrow, expressed her desire to see that women in Africa are not only empowered but stated that structures are on ground in the Gambia with huge success stories.

She acknowledged that African women are not where they ought to be yet, but with networking and sincere partnership, rural African women will be liberated from the shackle of poverty and be economically empowered.

The Africa Women Conference is an initiative of The Helpline Foundation for the Needy. Abuja in collaboration with the Echoes Africa Initiatives New York: both are non-governmental organizations focused on providing relief and economic empowerment for the less privileged in the society. Leading from this flank is Dr Jumai Ahmadu, a grassroots domesticated woman who has dedicated her professional life to serving rural women. She assembles women from underprivileged backgrounds by providing them succour in form of credit facilities, economic power and lifeline.

She is galvanizing frontiers to expand understanding of how many ways women leaders are transforming their communities and their nations; she is setting the premises to advance thought leadership and provide opportunities to learn from the women who are making a difference not only across Africa but around the world. From shared experiences, her expected outcome is to explore what women’s leadership looks like through the lens of four key leadership competencies—confidence, creativity, courage, and resilience—leading to a deeper appreciation of the challenges African women leaders face and offering productive strategies for addressing them.

Like the Beijing Conference, Dr Jumai Ahmadu said, her intention is to utilise the platform that AWC provides by recognizing the undeniable reality that from time immemorial African societies thrived on the economic prowess of their women and believe that for Africa to thrive again the women must take centre stage in leading any development initiative spurred by this, efforts must be harmonised to build and promote result-oriented partnerships for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals across Africa by bringing  individuals, organizations and institutions together to synergies on workable solutions for Africa’s problems, she isn‘t resting on her oas until she reaches the desired destination of making the African Women Conference to be the platform through which women of African descent can come together to develop Afrocentric solutions to Africa’s challenges.

The AWC was borne out of the realization that the 2030 mark set for the Sustainable Development Goals as adopted by the United Nations in 2015 cannot be realized without the commitment, inclusion and collective action of women at the national, regional and global stage because the role women play in influencing government policies and the economy of any society cannot be underestimated.

With more of this kind of engagement by our women, the era of continuous subjugation is over, and the voices from African women are laud and enduring this time.