Gender is significant in all spheres of leadership development but oftentimes is given less attention/oversite recognition of their efforts to positive leadership impact and development. Women particularly pay a high price for the lack of participation in leadership planning, in time spent accessing water for domestic or agricultural uses, processing and marketing food and other agricultural or non-farm products, collecting firewood, and reaching health services for themselves and their families. This ‘time poverty’ limits their ability to develop or access complementary sources of income. Women’s rise in leadership positions greatly influences other Women programmes and participation in leadership planning.
Traditionally, women have been sidelined from decision making and leadership positions, with their roles gazetted as being “housewives”. The belief was that women cannot measure up to the challenges and expectations of leadership. Government Hitherto under the able leadership of His Excellency Yoweri Kaguta Museveni the President of Uganda has demystified such ‘traditional mantras’, deliberate efforts have been taken to empower women through the 1995 constitution and other legislations. Under the Presidents able leadership, the percentage of women in the cabinet has increased from 27% to 43%. Today, women hold 46% of local government positions, 33% of parliamentary seats and 43% of the cabinet positions. A significant number of legal reforms have also been won and this is no mean achievement. It is a well-known fact that women are catalysts for meaningful change on the African continent. Women in leadership positions will be critical in leading the African continent into the new wave of future Economic development.
Women are catalysts for meaningful change on the African continent and that women and women leaders will be critical in leading Africa continent into a new future. As such, creating opportunities that promote African women’s economic participation is a prerequisite if Africa is to experience its predicted growth within the next few decades. In most African countries, only about a third of women participate in economic activities, however research shows that when women are actively involved, the improvement is measurable: In Africa, women’s economic participation encourages increased GDP, better governance within political structures and improved performance as a result of leadership within organizations.
And it’s not only women’s economic participation that’s needed – women in Africa need to become more representative in most spheres, including in infrastructure sectors, and women need to become more involved in the decision-making and planning of infrastructure projects and programmes. In addition, the burden of leadership deficit is carried mostly by women, who do not have influence but rather are subdued by factors that consume much of their time in addressing family requirements day by day. Thus, the design of leadership programmes needs to prioritize such gender-specific issues to ensure that women are able to carry out their leadership participation along their everyday chores more efficiently, enabling them to rise more productively from the ‘traditional mantra’ of women staying home to attend to family matters.
Although significant progress on the integration of gender in the leadership domain has taken place in the last decade, much more is needed to establish women’s inclusivity in African leadership. The opportunities should be created for women to unlock prospects for growth in the African leadership platforms and this can be in the form of personal growth through influence, learning, meeting leadership trainers/mentors, creating new networking connections through the key people attending and growing their existing leadership pursuits by participating in opportunities availed to women.
To recognize the achievements of women in leadership positions; increase the collaboration and networking of Gender Equality in the continent.
Bring women in close proximity to the reality of challenges faced in the leadership space in realization of the theme “Gender equality today for a sustainable tomorrow”
The conference will attract Women leaders from Uganda, Africa and beyond where top women Achievers will be recognized. The Conference will provide a platform for networking with a diverse spectrum of participants across all disciplines from Government and private sector, infrastructure.
- To provide a forum for re-positioning women leaders in the public and private sector, as a force to reckon with sharing experiences that will be a prerequisite in shaping the Africa infrastructure agenda.
- Provide a forum through which women can sign up for mentorship, coaching and networking sessions for leadership and empowerment.
- Create a women network that can connect, collaborate, and communicate with one another at country, continent, and global level in pursuing leadership goals.
- Create a strong network of professional leaders, a critical requirement for the mentorship program.
- Recognize and Celebrate Women Achievers in leadership positions.
Infra Africa has therefore organized a High-Level Women’s Conference that will attract participants from Africa and beyond.
Delegates will be drawn from among others:
- Hoteliers
- Energy, Health, Education, works and Transport,
- Infrastructure Finance
- Infrastructure law
- Women and Politics
- Women in Agriculture
- Women in ICT and Smart Cities
- Women in Health
- Women in Social Space
- Women in Politics
- Women Engineers
- Women in Media Space
- Young women in infrastructure
- Advice from the senior men in infrastructure
- Women CEOs, and Opinion and thought leaders, what it takes to be at the top
- Advisory
- Pedro Neves: Business Advisory Board UNECE
- Recho Ssebude – World Bank- Kampala Uganda
- Sonia Mezour – Morocco
- Audrey Mwala – Malawi
- Natalia Kochakova -Germany
- Maude Valle -Africa Legal Support Facility (Alsf)
- Amanda Leofen – Switzerland
- Miho Ihara -Vice Presidents CPCs -Canada
- Elsie AtafuhCountry Director UNDP
- Bitature Natalley- Kampala Uganda
- Salome Aguti – Kampala Uganda
- Dr. Amina Hersi Moghe- Uganda Allen Kagina – ED UNRA Kampala Uganda
- Imelda Musana -Professional Statistician – Kampala Uganda
- Susan Ngongi Namondo -UN Resident Coordinator
- Country Director UN-Women