The Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, has frowned at the act of discrimination against women and girls, adding that it is powered by the distorted mindsets that perceive women as inferior to men.
Kagame said this during the African Philanthropic Forum 2022 that unfolded under the theme “African Philanthropists Closing the Gender Gap.”
He further stressed that;
“Men must reject and reverse this act at all costs.
“There has been significant progress in closing the gender gap in recent decades; however, women and girls remain vulnerable.
“Even for all the rankings that were referred to about Rwanda, indeed, there is a lot more to do than we have actually done, and I wish to express my full support for the Africa Gender Initiative.
“Increasing philanthropic initiatives by Africans is critically important, but not only because of the money. It is about having the dignity as Africans to choose for ourselves the future we want.”
While emphasising the urgency for men’s participation in reversing the female inferiority mindset, he noted that African women hold important leadership positions and are active agents of change, “there is no need to reinvent the wheel.”
The three-day forum gathers stakeholders in the African philanthropy community to intensify partnerships for greater impact in the gender equity and empowerment space.
The Africa Gender Initiative is an innovative way to bring together philanthropic actors to pool resources aimed at making an impact in addressing gender inequalities.
He pointed out that in Rwanda’s leadership system, women outnumber men in parliament, there is gender parity in the cabinet, and all kinds of mechanisms are in place to raise women to stand in places of responsibility.
“I, therefore, encourage all of us to build on this strong foundation…and create more just and inclusive societies.”
Comments are closed.