THE PAN-AFRICAN WOMEN’S DAY CELEBRATION – EMPOWERING WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP IN A CHANGING AFRICA: 60 YEARS AFTER
If we, as African women, do not speak up for ourselves and let the world know what we can do, then who will? It will take time and effort, but we will be celebrated. With this in mind, the 60th Pan African Women’s Day was all about celebrating and encouraging African women. Radical women who fought for the decolonization of Africa, housewives who kept their families together, and visionaries who stood up for women’s rights on the continent. The Pan-African Women’s Day Celebration tells stories of happiness, pain, struggle, and victory. It is an event that reminds us of the work that has been done and what we are still to do to make African women feel seen, heard and understood. This was a historic event to celebrate the excellence of African women, their struggles, and their labour of love in their communities. Seeing that our vision is to empower women and girls from every part of Africa, this event was a great way to shed more light on what we can do as African women.
That said, this article discusses the 60th Pan-African Women’s Day Celebration: its impact on the continent, the highlights, and the way forward.
Profiles and highlights of the speakers at the Conference
Ms Kayamba Mundia
She is an IT specialist, forensic investigator and ICT analyst for the Ministry of Finance in Zambia. She spoke about what digital forensics is and its importance in security. She also encouraged women to have a growth mindset and get digital skills to use in other sectors. Additionally, she inspired women to collaborate with stakeholders, negotiate opportunities and seek mentorship.
Ms. Peggy Kapche Tazanou
She is the founder and CEO of Synergy Consulting, a leading accounting and management consulting firm in Cameroon and French West Africa. She told her story of leaving her position as the first woman director at Deloitte Cameroon to start her own company. Her goal is to train women entrepreneurs, fight limiting beliefs and encourage women to take up space. Throughout her speech, she highlighted the importance of support, collaboration and financial literacy for African women.
Mrs Mernsuh Laetitia epse Bomba
She is the founder and Chairperson of EmpowerHer Tech Foundation, Cameroon. She told her coming-up story, her challenging journey in leadership and how to overcome self-doubt as an African woman. Her key points were centred on helping African women pursue their dreams with the help of technology, be resilient and be willing to grow.
Dr. Lesedi Mashumba
She is an expert in criminology, a forensic investigator, lecturer at the University of Botswana, the University of Ghana and Green Springs Digital University, Cameroon. She served as an excellent moderator for the conference. She emphasized the importance of continuous learning, gender equality, and strategic networking.
Ambassador Churchill Ewumbue-Monono
He is the Cameroon ambassador to Ethiopia and permanent representative of the African Union and United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. He gave a keynote address about empowering African women through the Pan-African Women’s Day Conference. He gave a history of the conference and its significance in the lives of African women. This year’s conference was about promoting gender equality, and digital transformation and celebrating the achievements of notable African women.
Tanyi Melvis Bechemyo
She is a digital marketing consultant, speaker and founder of Tamebec Tech Academy Cameroon, an institution that trains people on mindset, technology, and digital marketing. She told a story of commitment, determination and success despite all odds. It was a fun session that helped women to see themselves as bold, capable and worthy.
Dr. Linus Akepe
He is the Executive Director of EmpowerHer Tech Foundation and the Co-Founder of Green Springs Digital University. He discussed the progress that African women have made over the last 60 years and their role in shaping the future of Africa. During his talk, he emphasized that this year’s conference was to teach women profitable skills and work through their challenges to improve their lives.
Dr. Joan Beri Wacka
She is an expert in forensic investigation, a subject matter expert in cybersecurity, a lecturer at the University of Buea, a lecturer at the Advanced School of Public Administration and a trainer across Africa especially with the African Union. The best part about her presentation was that she brought out the challenges that women face in entering and staying in cybersecurity. She persuaded African women to fight stereotypes by networking and building their skills in whatever industry they want.
Dr. Eunice Thomas
She is a John Maxwell mentor and coach, and CEO of Eunice Thomas Leadership Academy (ETLA)Nigeria. Dr. Eunice talked about collaborating instead of competing with men to achieve our goals. She mostly spoke about seeking ways to turn painful experiences into learning moments. These are opportunities for growth and acquiring new knowledge to add to one’s skills.
Dr. Colonel Irene Montesh Phindile
She is a security expert who works with HAWKS in South Africa. As a security expert, she is passionate about seeing change in the way women and girls are treated in every sector. In her presentation, she explained how African women in law enforcement are risking their lives to provide support for girls and women in conflict regions. It is our role to advocate for the change we want to see.
Impact and Success
There is nothing more heartwarming than seeing women of all ages inspired to do their best and take advantage of every opportunity. This event proved that creating awareness about women’s rights, the opportunities they have, and the success they can achieve is a worthy cause. We had the expert opinions of professionals, active contributions from participants during workshop sessions, and answers to so many questions. Despite being a virtual conference, the participants were in high spirits and willing to contribute at every point.
We had women from five different regions of Africa, including:
- Southern African Development Community (SADC)
- Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS)
- East African Community (EAC)
- Central African Economic and Monetary Community (CEMAC)
- North Africa
There were over 360 women between the ages of 19 and 70 from 32 countries around the world. These women were eager to learn, excited about the opportunities ahead of them, and motivated by the stories of successful women in their midst. We at EmpowerHer Tech Foundation jointly organized the conference with the Center for Research on Democracy and Development in Africa (CEREDDA) on July 31, 2023. Other organizations that contributed to the success of this online event were:
- Green Springs Digital Institute of Higher Learning (University), Yaoundé, Cameroon
- International Institute of Certified Forensic Investigation Professionals (IICFIP)
- Synergy Consulting Firm, Douala, Cameroon
By the end of the event, some participants had found mentors, agreed to enrol in training programs and taken up helpful courses. Before the conference, some of them didn’t even know what they could do but all that changed during the workshop session.
Key highlights
- Celebrating Women’s Achievements
The Pan African Women’s Day is all about celebrating the achievements of the women who have made it possible for us to be here. The women whose names have been forgotten. Those who are doing great work and making an impact in society. At the last event, the speakers shared their journeys and tips to make it easier for other women coming after them.
- Promoting Gender Equality and Women’s Rights
In Africa, many women and girls still have to fight tooth and nail to have access to their basic needs. While some aren’t as educated as their male counterparts, others are paid way less than men for doing the same work or even more work. This has to stop. That is why we are working towards bridging the gender gap through skilled programs for marginalized women and girls all over Africa.
- Fostering Pan-African Unity
The Pan-African Women’s Day Celebration is not just about saying big words but also actively working towards bringing peace and unity to the African continent. This is by encouraging networking among women from various regions, sharing their unique stories and assisting them in whatever way they need help. Additionally, we will hold each other’s hands through the changes that come with growth and a desire to do better.
- Encouraging Women’s Leadership and Advocating Policy Changes
The celebration is an important way to advocate for positive changes in policies concerning women’s rights and their identities as individuals. It shows women that there are many more options available to them in every sector and at every level.
- Inspiring Regional and International Partnerships
As we said earlier, women from up to 5 economic regions of Africa were present and active during the conference. This gave room for international collaborations and future partnerships on projects that will help African women. In future conferences around the continent, we are confident that more women will work together to improve their economic, social, political and even spiritual well-being.
- Empowering Women Economically
In South Africa alone, nearly 38% of women are breadwinners. This means that more women need to be empowered with profitable skills to make good financial choices for themselves and their families. This is why the Pan-African Women’s Day conference focuses on key discussions about wealth creation, networking opportunities and making resources available to African women.
- Strengthening African Identity
The conference acknowledges the role of African women in building families and sustaining communities by passing down our culture and instilling our values in the next generation. This gives us a sense of identity and unity as Africans.
Bottom line
The Pan-African Women’s Day is not just a day. It’s the day. It is our chance to appreciate the work of the women before us and celebrate the steps we are taking in our little corners and the struggles we face in achieving our goals. This event is an excellent way to bring the change we want to see in the lives of African women and girls in every part of our beautiful continent. The best part is that we are not just celebrating successful women, but also empowering women at the grassroots with technical skills to improve their standard of living. Additionally, the EmpowerHer Tech Foundation team will be happy to partner with other organizations to make this event even bigger and better in the future. Using the power of technology and collaboration, we’ll be unstoppable.
0 Comments