African women and girls: Leading a continent
Past Event
In recent years, African women and girls have emerged as leaders on the local, national, and global levels across a variety of arenas—in politics, business, home, academia, science, medicine and more—at a time when recent gains in women and girl’s education, health, and livelihoods have reversed. Indeed, women’s leadership in Africa is not a new phenomenon. Throughout Africa’s history, women have been problem-solvers and pivotal players in the transformation of the continent. Unfortunately, barriers still stand in the way of African women and girls’ advancements, meaning that global and African leaders must increase their investments in women and girls and ensure they have access to quality education, are economically empowered, and can freely participate in all levels of government.
As part of the Foresight Africa event series, and in honor of International Women’s Day, the Brookings Africa Growth Initiative hosted a discussion on the leadership of African women and girls on March 11. The panel reflected on the contributions of African women to the region’s development and explore the role of women in, among other arenas, cabinets, parliaments, municipal governments, industry, academia, and the health sector, as well as strategies for pursuing gender equality in political leadership, among other topics.
Viewers submitted questions for the panelists by emailing events@brookings.edu.
Agenda
Opening remarks
Panel
Jamie Cooper
Chair and President - Big Win Philanthropy
Fiona Tregenna
Professor of Economics - University of Johannesburg
Michelle Williams
Dean of the Faculty and Professor - Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Kennedy School
Jeni Klugman
Nonresident Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development, Africa Growth Initiative
Aloysius Uche Ordu
Director - Africa Growth Initiative
Senior Fellow - Global Economy and Development
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