Source: Agencia AngolaPress
The deputy chairperson of the Pan-African Women  Organisation for Southern Africa,  Carolina Cerqueira, Thursday in Sumbe, Kwanza Sul province, urged women to invest in their education so they become fit to contribute to the country’s reconstruction and development.

Carolina Cerqueira, who is also Angolan Social Communication minister, was speaking at a talk on "Women participation in Africa’s development”, as part of the celebrations of the African Women Day, July 31.

The official said on the occasion that the African states are very concerned about the continent’s maternal and child death rate and Hiv/Aids.

She said the African Union has been promoting women leadership promoting mechanisms in the various member countries, through the creation of commissions that became more visible with the update of the policy on gender.

According to Carolina Cerqueira, the member countries are thus expected to design and implement programmes and policies at national level.

She added that 70 percent of the African Union member countries have adopted gender promoting policies.

The official further stated that the African Women Network is a platform that will help speed up the implementation of gender policies in the various sectors like health, education, economic development, which requires resources for the programmes, in view of the economic crisis the countries are experiencing.

To Carolina Cerqueira, the African women status is one of the main challenges for the development of the continent, as gender equality is about other values like peace, good governance, development, human rights advocacy, participation and development of citizenship and culture.