It is acknowledged that across the continent, women play a pivotal role in agricultural production, rural economy, household-level nutrition, and rural poverty reduction.
The percentage of women in Africa is more than half the population of the African continent, but the figures and data indicate a low level of education, health, and economic status; thus, African women are the most susceptible to a lot of systemic oppression.
Therefore, promoting African women and their access to finance plays a key role at the African Development Bank’s Annual Meetings in Kigali. AfDB Supports the Economic Empowerment of African Women and the Network New Faces, New Voices the African Development Bank, a driver of change for gender equality and financial inclusion for African Women in Business – Fighting the Challenge for Development in Africa New Opportunities for African Women the African Women in Business Initiative (AWIB) responds to the Bank’s Private
The Remarkable role of African women in building the economy
According to the AFDB…
The role of women in reshaping the global financial system.
The global financial crisis has caused a paradigm shift in shaping global financial architecture. African women need to make their voices heard in discussions on making markets work better for less developed countries and the poor.
The discussion will focus on how safe and robust financial systems can be built while expanding and deepening their reach to all segments of society.
Key focus areas:
Identify the trends in regulatory reform in the global financial sector and discuss the impact these reforms will have on women’s access in Africa across all income brackets.
What are regulatory and policy responses needed to build a more inclusive financial system for women?
How do we develop coordinated strategies to amplify the voices of African women in this debate?
African women suffer significantly from the loss of economic security. This is manifested in poverty and the lack of sources of livelihood. Despite the great wealth the African continent enjoys, 59% of Africans live below the poverty line. Twenty-one African countries are classified under the food-insecure countries of 37 countries worldwide.
As women account for more than half of the population of Africa, they are affected by them, which means that more than half of the continent’s women are poor. Therefore, African women suffer from social and economic insecurity, living under severe psychological and economic pressures from bearing the brunt of family affairs.
The inequality between men and women, whether in the educational, social, economic, administrative, and political aspects, and social traditions and customs are the strongest obstacles to the economic emancipation of African women. They give weight to economic growth in many African countries.
To support African women, an approach that systematically educates girls combats forced labor, and provides access to health care and social protection is necessary.
