Publisher’s PoV

iRise Africa represents the voice of African women who on a daily basis toil through extreme hardship to eke a living for survival; women who strive to find their voice in a male dominated milieu.

Reprehensibly, to be born a woman in Africa is to be viewed by the society as second fiddle. Culture and socialization groom the girl-child to accept an inferior statue. She naturally submits to the societal norms as inferior specie whose ultimate goal is to get married to a man and meet all his needs. In many African societies, the greatest respect a woman would earn is to be a housewife. iRise Africa has come to challenge this mentality. 

Yes, many countries and organizations have stood up against the inequality women experience in various walks of life. Several NGOs have been dedicated to campaigns leading to the creation of awareness through different strata of societies. But little progress has been recorded in terms of women inclusion in leadership positions due to poor or lack of implementation of international treaties.

For instance, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, adopted at the UN’s Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing, China, 1995), is an agenda for women’s empowerment which aims at removing all the obstacles to women’s active participation in all spheres of public and private life through ensuring women a full and equal share in economic, social, cultural and political decision-making. This means that the principle of shared power and responsibility should be established between women and men at home, in the workplace, and in the wider national and international communities.

Many continents of the world have signed up to the affirmative action, however 25 years after the conference there has remained very slow improvement in the participation of women in global leadership. When we zero to Africa, women’s participation in leadership is abysmal.

A lot of improvements have been recorded in education as women now compete favorably with men in every profession. Globalization and urbanization have also made it possible for many women to access jobs in various industries.

It is now up to African women to change their mentality toward positivity in order to fight their way through male domination to a place of equality.  No one rises above her thoughts. Self-worth and self-esteem proceed from one’s thought patterns. 

Therefore African women must work on changing the concept of self as defined by African culture and tradition to a place of acceptance of equality of all humans and they should take their destiny in their hands. Women must enlarge their horizon and dream as big as they can, and strive in all areas of their choice.

Moving forward, the conversation should center around changing the woman’s mindset. African women must begin to have the ‘go get it mindset.’ Women must henceforth make themselves available for leadership positions by presenting themselves through nominations or applications, but before then, women must equip themselves with all prerequisite skills (both in leadership and industry) so much that they will be well prepared when the opportunity arrives.

iRise Africa shall be conducting researches on women issues, policy matters and skill sets necessary for mobility in various endeavors. Active conversation on those issues and more will go on here as we partner and engage relevant NGOs and state government agencies.

Welcome to a new world of the rising African woman.

Signed.

Dr. Sally ADUKWU-BOLUJOKO (OON)