Source: Graphic Online
A meeting of high-ranking African women from various walks of life has been held in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The three-day meeting, dubbed, International SHEROES Forum, was organised by Forum Solutions International, in conjunction with SHEROES Foundation, to discuss issues affecting gender equality, including women’s participation in politics and business leadership.
Participants also deliberated on strategies for positive change, growth and advancement for women.
Attended by over 100 women from 12 African countries, as well as guests from the United States and UAE, the Dubai forum was a follow-up to the one held in Accra in October last year where Malawi’s former President, Dr Joyce Banda, was the keynote speaker.
Panellists
Other panellists at the Dubai forum included Dr Joice Mujuru, former Vice-President of Zimbabwe; Dame Mrs Pauline Tallen, former Deputy Governor of Plateau State, Nigeria, and Shaikah Fatimah F. Aji, CEO of Global Voice of Women, UAE.
Others were Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi, Co-Founder, AWDF, Nigeria; Hon. Thokozani Khupe, a Member of Parliament in Zimbabwe; Hon. Lengtheng Helen Mekgwe, Head of Gauteng Speakers Forum, South Africa, and Maureen Umeh of Fox News5 DC in the US.
In her welcome address, the Executive Director of the SHEROES Foundation, Madam Flossy Tachie-Menson from Ghana, said the time had come for women around the globe to join forces and work for their interests.
“Together, we can and will ensure that one-day, women across all geographic, socio-economic and cultural lines have access to the same opportunities as men,” she said.
Strategising
Dr Banda, during a discussion on ‘Women In Politics,’ touched on the need for African women to strategise and deal with the election processes at the grassroots level. She advised her compatriots to support and stand with each other.
“If you go up the ladder to the top, don’t push down the ladder. Leave it there so others can climb up,” she asserted.
Dr Joice Mujuru, in her speech, stated that: “We must begin to work collectively to provide solutions to problems in our specific nations.”
‘SHEROES Awards’ were given to four women at the Dubai forum. They were Dr Joice Mujuru for Bravery and Courage; H.E. Pauline Tallen for Political Leadership; H.E. Bisi Adeleye-Fayemi for Women’s Rights Advocacy and Queenmother Xernona Clayton, a civil rights leader from the US, for being a visionary.
The next edition of the International SHEROES Forum is scheduled for October 2016 in Accra.