Gender parity not about women domination – Ex-Malawian President

The 4th President of Malawi, Dr. Joyce Banda, has said the advocacy has said the struggle for gender parity was to eliminate all forms of practices that are disadvantageous to women.

She spoke in Lagos when she was hosted by a women advocacy group, ElectHER and Platform Capital, to a forum with the theme, “The Future Is Feminine: How Can African Women Position Themselves as Change Agents in Life, Business and Politics.”

• Anger as disabled Nigerian is beaten to death in Italy
• Siemens power transformers pass test in Italy, to arrive Nigeria September

Banda, who spoke on the distinction between “The Future is Feminine” and “The Future is Female”, stressed that gender parity was not about female domination.

She said, “The Future is Feminine: this does not mean that the future belongs to women only: rather it’s all about propagating values of equality, justice and fairness for both sexes in every sense and dimension.

“It is about eliminating all practices and systems that disadvantage women. It is not an infringement or disturbance to the world order but rather it is about correcting what is fundamentally wrong with the current world order.”

She emphasised that it is about creating or having a new world order that is built on the principles of equality, fairness and inclusivity.

Banda, however, referred to three critical changes to create a feminine future including “a shift in mindset to ensure that women at all levels understand that eradicating poverty that affects them is in their own hands; political will at all levels of government across Africa to pass laws that encourage equal treatment for both men and women; and women economic empowerment and participation in leadership.”

The Founder and CEO of ElectHER, Ibijoke Faborode, noted that countries that have seen the election and representation of women at the highest political offices, have done so well at the lowest point of their economies.

According to the CEO and host, this signifies the undeniable importance of women to peace, security and socio-economic development.

On her part, the Chief Host, Dr. Akintoye Akindele, who is the Chairman, Platform Capital Group said, “Our women have woken up and become entrepreneurs in the proper world. By increasing capital access  from three per cent to 10 per cent to female initiatives and businesses, we can create improved development outcomes in Africa.”