Elsie’s Women Empowerment Farm is the first women-owned farm producing organic cotton in the Gambia, and as the name might suggest, women’s economic empowerment is at the heart of this enterprise. Moreover, as a member of the Young Female Farmers Association, Elsie A. Williams works together with the association to boost women’s role in agriculture. ‘My vision was to revitalize cotton production in The Gambia,’ says the farm owner. ‘When we are successful with this, much more people will have jobs. I told myself to take the responsibility and mobilise other women, as I cannot do this alone.’ The Gambia has a rich history in cotton production – a major cash crop in the 1970s and 1980s. However, as a result of political changes, cotton production and export decreased significantly at the end of the century. Observing the shifting market, Elsie identified a growing demand for organic cotton in recent…
Nigerian Female Celebrities Take Centre Stage on FIFA PlayOn Podcast
The influence of African music and culture on the lives of two of Nigeria’s most famous women, football superstar Asisat Oshoala and award-winning singer-songwriter Tiwa Savage, are centre stage in the latest episode of the FIFA PlayOn Podcast. The duo tells the podcast’s co-hosts, Universal Music Group’s global chart-topping artist Liam Payne and sports broadcaster Jaydee Dyer, about how their love of Afrobeats inspired them to overcome the odds and become trailblazing global icons. Oshoala, now a prolific FC Barcelona Femení striker, admits that it had been “emotional” to revisit tough times from her past while selecting six songs to represent a personal soundtrack to her life so far. “It made me think back to how I left my family and created my own happiness out of nothing,” she says. “These songs kept me going.” Oshoala explains how she had a strict upbringing and was forced to hide her passion for football from her parents before…
South Korea’s Yoo Myung-hee Drops Bid to Become WTO Chief
South Korea’s top trade official is dropping her bid to become the next director-general of the World Trade Organisation, making it likely the job will go to former Nigerian finance minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala. She would become the first woman to lead the organization. South Korea’s Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy said in a statement Friday that its minister for trade, Yoo Myung-hee, will soon tell the WTO she is withdrawing her candidacy. The WTO, which makes world trade rules, announced in October that Yoo and Okonjo-Iweala were the two finalists to become its next director-general, ensuring a woman will fill the top job for the first time. The WTO had ben expected to announce a winner before the end of 2020, but the process dragged on because of disagreements between member states over the candidates, the South Korean ministry said. While it appeared Okonjo-Iweala had broader support, the WTO…
Namibia: Bank Windhoek Supports Women Entrepreneurship Growth
Some 48 mentors and mentees will officially kick off this year’s Katuka Mentorship Programme in Windhoek tomorrow. Well-known human resource specialist Sabine Ruegg will conduct the three-day orientation programme. Sponsored by Bank Windhoek, the Katuka Mentorship Programme aims to empower and encourage entrepreneurs, business and professional women to succeed in their careers through mentorship by seasoned business and professional women. The late Lena Markus, former Businesswoman of the Year 2000 in the category of Corporate/Professional, founded the programme. In its twentieth year, the programme has produced significant results in the careers of the participating mentees. To date, 401 entrepreneurs and businesswomen have completed the programme. “The Katuka Mentorship Programme is a method of advancement, which provides support and training through relationship building. It is about matching a mentee and a mentor with a similar personal and professional interest in the process of support, sharing, and learning to help entrepreneurs and…
Stacey Abrams Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize
U.S. voting rights activist and Democratic Party politician Stacey Abrams has been nominated for this year’s Nobel Peace Prize for her work to promote nonviolent change via the ballot box, a Norwegian lawmaker said on Monday. Abrams, whose work was credited with boosting voter turnout last year, helping Joe Biden win the U.S. presidency, joins a long list of nominees, including both former President Donald Trump and his son-in-law, former White House adviser Jared Kushner. “Abrams’ work follows in Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s footsteps in the fight for equality before the law and for civil rights,” said Lars Haltbrekken, a Socialist Party member of Norway’s parliament. King, a Baptist minister who became a leader of the 1960s civil rights movement, won the Nobel prize in 1964 and remains among its most famous laureates. “Abrams’ efforts to complete King’s work are crucial if the United States of America shall succeed…
Action Coalition Leaders on Technology and Innovation unite and call for bold, collective solutions to spark a gender-diverse digital reset
The World Economic Forum Davos Agenda is taking place from the 25-29 January and is this year embracing collective action by public and private partners for bold solutions to improve the state of the world and manage the direct consequences of the COVID-19 crisis. The Generation Equality Action Coalitions build on and reflect this imperative as innovative, multi-stakeholder partnerships that will mobilize governments, civil society, international organizations, and the private sector to catalyze action, drive investment, and deliver concrete, game-changing results for gender equality. It is in this spirit of cross-sector collective action that leaders from the Action Coalition on Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality have released a joint statement calling for extraordinary collaboration and solidarity – among people, organizations, and countries. The diverse Action Coalition partners express their unwavering commitment to design and implement transformative ideas that will drive a more equal and inclusive digital transformation as we…
India’s Female Entrepreneurs Hopes on 2021 Budget
Struggling with the Covid-19 slump, India’s female entrepreneurs are hoping for a win with this year’s budget. Between March and June when India was under a complete lockdown, several people—especially thousands of women—took to entrepreneurship. This was either because these people had lost their jobs and were looking for ways to earn, or because they sensed an opportunity in the growing trend of hyperlocal demand as physical stores and restaurants remained shut. For instance, thousands of women turned home chefs, serving customers who wanted home-cooked food but lacked culinary skills. Many others tried to make a buck from pandemic-related trends. In rural Karnataka, for instance, 200 women banded together to start producing and selling masks. Others created healthcare and ed-tech products to solve new problems birthed by the pandemic. However, as economic activity trudges back towards normal, these entrepreneurs see several obstacles ahead of them. In October, the Indian government noticed the sudden spur in the…