PAP President commends women's' efforts in Africa's development agenda

PAP President commends women's' efforts in Africa's development agenda


BY GEORGE KAGAME
Johannesburg


The President of the Pan African Parliament Dr. Gertrude Mongella commended the efforts of women in Africa's liberation struggles from colonialism and their determination to develop the continent from the high levels of poverty on the continent today.


Mongella was earlier today opening the second Women's Platform for Action in Africa conference in Johannesburg quoted the examples of South Africa and Rwanda saying that the women in the two countries had suffered more the brunt of genocide and apartheid respectively and they were active in helping their countries overcome such tragedies.


She said the women in Rwanda had witnessed and suffered from the 1994 Genocide that after it was stopped they are at the forefront of establishing that country among the most well managed societies. Mongela's Khalid Dhahab, the media manager of the Pan African Parliament which is among the organizers of the conference In an email to The New Times wrote that

"After the genocide, Rwanda moved to let go of the past and now the men and women of Rwanda have decided through the power of the vote to send more women to the parliament." Mongella was referring to recent parliamentary elections i Rwanda where more woman than men won parliamentary seats.


She however said that the numbers of women is useless if there are incompetent leaders at the top: "Rwanda is lucky to have President Paul Kagame, he has made the difference in that country because he implements what he pledges to do," she said many other African leaders had committed to promote gender sensitive policies but they failed to honour these commitments. "Because of his good leadership, that country now has a good environment which encourages, respects and opens doors for women to show their qualities in management."

Mongella added that Rwanda was on a good road to development because more women had bee given opportunities to showcase their leadership skills, she cautioned other African leaders that there can never be development on the continent unless women were the centre of policy making stages of public service. Addressing the same session Nozizwe Madlala-Routledge thr deputy speaker of the South African Parliament said that there was need for women in enough numbers of positions of influence to be able to bring about changes that would develop the continent further.

The Women's Platform for Action in Africa was championed by South African female legislators in 2006, they sought to create a forum through which to engage policy makers in parliaments across Africa on gender issues, today the platform is being streamlined to be adopted among the institutions of the Pan African Parliament.

This year's theme: "Women and the quest for Human Security" is discussing measures that can be adopted to ensure that women are protected from fear of freedom and want, "this means that women must be protected from fear and freedom from want emphasized Routledge. The second Women's Platform for Action in Africa is sponsored by the German Technical Cooperation organization-GTZ.


Mongela has been at the forefront of gender issues and advocacy and she is popularly known as Mama Beijing, since being the secretary general of the international conference in 1995 which largely opened doors for the current trend of women and gender sensitive policies across the globe.