Oulimata Sarr is UN Women's Regional Advisor, in charge of West and Central Africa for Women's Empowerment. UN Women is the United Nations entity for gender equality and the empowerment of women. Prior to the UN, she spent ten years at the International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member institution of the World Bank Group.
Far from the vulnerable image that is often associated with them, women are above all agents of change. In Africa, as leaders of the family economy, they have always been the first managers and have always been creative in ensuring their economic autonomy. It is important to remind them of this and to make sure that these qualities are reinforced by them. Women represent half of humanity and the other half, men, must form a partnership with them. Successful women's economic empowerment means making the continent emerge because women are part of the solution.
Women's economic empowerment encompasses the notion of power. In its translation into French, this idea no longer appears, although it is essential to understand this expression. Through women's economic empowerment, it is a question of giving, or rather giving back, economic power to women. To do this, various strategies are implemented involving decision-makers on the one hand, and women themselves on the other.
Government Accountability, the Role of the Private Sector
In developing different programs, conceived, designed, defined and executed to achieve this objective, governments are first and foremost called upon to contribute. Nevertheless, the proposed programmes can only be implemented when they are supported by a strong political will. States can ensure that they bring about the necessary changes to establish the right strategies to break with the factors blocking the proper implementation of projects and programs and to positively influence public policies.
In addition, women's economic empowerment will require a number of concrete actions, including the representation of women in decision-making bodies. Like women in English-speaking Africa, who seem to be a certain step ahead of women in French-speaking Africa, because they already have this culture of integrating boards of directors. However, this progress is being absorbed, at a steady pace, by the Francophones. It is therefore essential to forge partnerships with the private sector, as it is the sector that dominates the economy in many countries and can also serve as a lever to increase the representation of women in decision-making spheres.
Deliberate actions can be taken, such as quotas, to better promote women's involvement at all levels. In particular, it is a question of applying global standards, such as the " EDGE " certification (Economic Dividends for Gender Equality), which consists of involving a third party to assess the level of application of gender equality in a company, etc. A method that measures a company's level of commitment to gender equality and could be applied by the private sector.
The private sector is also being used to create opportunities for women at all levels. Women must be on boards of directors, in management positions, and create and run their own businesses. To ensure that women are better involved and involved as a workforce, as a market segment and as full members of the community, because all the dialogue must be with them.
Transforming the role of women in key sectors
Development partners provide significant funding for programmes in the agricultural sector, for example. It is important to transform the role of women in this sector, which is a lever for development in many emerging countries. In terms of economic growth, the agricultural sector is one of the drivers of emergence in Africa.
Beyond the public policies to be redefined, it is also necessary to promote and facilitate access to land for women, but also to strengthen their capacities in several areas, particularly in production techniques and farm management. Women have always been pioneers in agriculture, horticulture, market gardening, poultry farming, dairy production, etc. This relationship with their mother earth that women have always maintained must be developed, so that they produce better, in greater quantities and above all in a way that is more adapted to climate change, one of the challenges of the century.
Moving away from microfinance to entrepreneurship
Access to finance is also significant. At this level, it is no longer a question of micro-financing but rather of providing women with greater financial instruments. Getting women out of microfinance is the credo. For a very long time, these were confined to microfinance. Women's economic empowerment requires access to finance, but the requirements of economic viability call for all kinds of financial instruments. Larger lines of credit, guarantee funds, private equity funds, and rent-to-own funds to allow them to have access to production tools. A whole spectrum of financial instruments that women must be able to benefit from to develop women's entrepreneurship.
Building support networks among women
Women's economic empowerment will also be achieved by creating strong cohesion among women. It is essential that women share their experiences and build networks where they can meet in confidence, to develop a common agenda together. Let each one talk about his or her experience to help the other avoid making the same mistakes or running into the same obstacles.
In this perspective, African women leaders have a role to play. They must be magnified, serve as a model and inspire the younger generation. They must be invited to express themselves, to connect and to get to know each other, through platforms to be put in place. It's about creating a critical mass of women who will inspire other women and persuade them that they can achieve their potential.
