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31 July 2024 / WILDAF-AO / Comment off

Today, 31 July 2024, the African community celebrates African Women’s Day. This day provides African women with an opportunity to discuss with their governments the major constraints on their social and economic well-being and on the continent’s development.

WiLDAF-AO joins the African community in celebrating the achievements, resilience and ongoing struggles of women across the African continent.

In sub-Saharan Africa, women and girls in rural and urban areas remain at risk of food insecurity, underemployment, limited access to essential services and increased gender-based violence.

In the agricultural sector, for instance, African women represent up to 52% of the total population and are responsible for around 50% of agricultural work on farms in sub-Saharan Africa, but they have limited access to land and production resources. In West Africa, they are heavily involved in the informal dairy sector, especially in production, collection and processing. However, they face inequalities in terms of access to and control over production resources.

 At a social level, women and girls face patriarchal social norms that create inequalities between men and women and exacerbate gender-based violence. According to the UNICEF 2022 report, 37% of girls in West Africa are married before the age of 18 and 12% before the age of 15, despite the existence of international, regional and national legal instruments protecting them.

This is an opportunity to recognise the persistent challenges and obstacles that hinder progress and limit the opportunities of african women/girls, and to take action to combat them.

To this end, WiLDAF-AO appeals to the governments of the West African sub-region, to regional institutions and to traditional and religious leaders: It is time IT IS TIME TO TAKE ACTION!

  • Take action to strengthen gender strategies linked to the agricultural and agri-food sector
  • Take action by strengthening the power of young people and women in decision-making bodies and agricultural value chains
  • Take action to make the Regional Agricultural Development Fund (FRDA), set up by WAEMU, a genuine instrument for empowering women
  • Take action to strengthen the legal, political, budgetary and institutional frameworks of ECOWAS Member States in order to reduce the prevalence of child marriage.
  • Take action to change the socio-cultural norms that hinder the potential of women and girls, and encourage changes in social behaviour.
  • Take action by increasing access to healthcare, education, drinking water, sanitation and other essential services for women and girls.
  • Take action by increasing funding to achieve gender equality

The network reaffirms its commitment to promoting and protecting the rights of women and girls.

It is essential to work collectively to overcome the obstacles facing women and girls in order to create a future where African women can flourish, lead, fulfil their aspirations and enjoy their fundamental rights and freedoms.

It is time to create a more inclusive and equitable society for all.

In solidarity with all African women and girls

WilDAF-AO