In celebration of International Women’s Day, and to mark the rollout of the Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) Guarantee for Growth program, the African Development Bank and the African Guarantee Fund are showcasing the first beneficiaries of the AFAWA Guarantee for Growth program – an innovation aiming to unlock up to $3 billion in loans to women-led small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).
Tech giant Google has furthered its commitment to the economic empowerment of women in Africa by establishing a grant worth $25-million in the new Global Impact Challenge (GIC) for women and girls. Google’s Global Impact Challenge aims to support women and girls in Africa Alistair Mokoena, Google South Africa country director quotes the Foresight Africa report 2021 with direct reference to the importance of supporting women and the impact the pandemic has had on equality. “It confirms that the coronavirus has ‘exacerbated already-existing gender inequalities, laying bare serious fault lines in safety, physical and mental health, education, domestic responsibilities, and employment opportunities”. The Global Impact Challenge The challenge provides $25-million in cash grants to non-profit organisations and social enterprises that are aimed at improving the livelihoods of women and girls’ lives. “As economies and societies rebuild, we need bold new ideas that will propel us forward. We can’t afford to go back to the way things were,…
The First Lady of Zimbabwe Auxillia Mnangagwa has set up a toll-free line into a call centre set up in the office of the First Lady so that immediate help can be rendered to victims of gender-based as they are swiftly connected to police, emergency medical services or counselling services as appropriate. The call centre was set up following reports of escalating cases of gender-based violence (GBV), in the vast majority of cases by men on women, and the need for instant reporting and support to ensure the safety of the victims. Around the world, lockdowns used to contain Covid-19 have been seeing more GBV as women with abusive partners are locked up with these men. The toll-free number is 575 with users of TelOne, NetOne and Telecel already able to call the centre and the other networks expected to be on board soon. The initiative by the First Lady…
Groups of traditional women in Lofa County in Liberia have benefited from grant valued at over US$16,000 from the European Union/United Nations Women Spotlight Initiative. Three women groups comprising of 25 members each namely; Vornebah, which in the Gbandi tribe means ‘togetherness’, Winlia, also meaning togetherness in Lorma and Yalazeagawugu, also in Lorma means ‘hold my hands so I can wake up’ received the grant in the county over the weekend. The money is for a project being implemented by Plan International Liberia through local CSOs in five of Liberia’s 15 counties aimed at providing alternative income raising livelihood for traditional women, as they say, no to practice of Female Genital mutilation or FGM. Speaking at the disbursement of the grant in Vezala Town, the Program Officer of Women Solidarity Incorporated Mackins Pajibo said, implementing the Plan International Liberia project in Lofa is part of the Alternative Livelihood for FGM…
At a recent dialogue organised by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and the Sindh, speakers observed that the absence of rules of business was the main hurdle in implementing the 2020 labour law. The social structure is complicit in the exploitation of agricultural workers in the province, noted HRCP Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt. Stressing that labour organisations should work together to secure the rights of agricultural workers, he observed that women labourers worked in very hot weather in poor health and safety conditions. Labour activists have stressed the need to implement the Sindh Women Agricultural Workers Act 2020, demanding social security for agriculture workers. There is a need for more work towards women empowerment in every sector, he added. National Trade Union Federation Pakistan (NTUF) deputy general secretary Nasir Mansoor said that the law was ambiguous and had loopholes. Labour laws overlap with the Sindh Industrial Relations Act 2013, he…
Kenya Allison was recently appointed Battalion Commanding Officer for the UNC Naval ROTC, making her the first black woman to attain the position. Kenya Allison is a self-proclaimed military brat — military life is all she has known. Growing up, Allison lived all over the world. She watched her father hold leadership positions in the Navy. As her mother went through health struggles, the military helped Allison’s family afford her health care. Allison said this inspired her to one day join the military. “In a way, I always knew I wanted to go into the military,” Allison said. “I’ve seen how much they’ve given me, and I wanted to give back in a way.” Allison, now a senior at UNC, have always admired past occupants of that position and is optimistic about fulfilling her role. The Battalion Commanding Officer is the highest student leadership position within the Naval Reserve Officers Training…
The International Trade Centre (ITC) has launched a new online platform that will allow women traders to market products in the Commonwealth countries. The directory has been produced under the She Trades project and will be hosted by the Kenya Export Promotion and Branding Agency (Keproba). The platform enables women-owned businesses to market their wares globally where ITC will facilitate networking of small and medium enterprises. “We hope to increasingly partner in similar initiatives to expand our export pie in the global economy,” said Keproba chief executive Wilfred Marube. The project aims to increase economic growth and job creation in Commonwealth countries by increasing the participation of women-owned businesses, positioning the Commonwealth to create trade and investment opportunities for women. The She Trades initiative that goes live on February 25 and brings together three million women onto one e-platform is aimed at enhancing exports by local women-owned businesses. Participating businesses…
