By Addis Getachew
ADDIS ABABA (AA) – African Union (AU) Commission Chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma has urged the continent's leaders to work towards furthering women's empowerment, as the world celebrates International Women's Day on Sunday.
Although there has been progress in women empowerment, Dlamini-Zuma said in a statement on the occasion, but "much more remains to be done, to increase women’s representation in all spheres – in the judiciary and in parliaments, in the economy and in the security sector."
"We must also intensify efforts to improve the visibility of African women on the national, regional and international scenes," she said.
Dlamini-Zuma reaffirmed that women are often, yet discreetly, consulted by men in traditional African societies when important decisions have to be taken.
"But why is it that women's decision-making power is not reflected in public? Why the African woman is always relegated to the background in the instances of modern public decisions? Why is the African women excluded during elections in our country? Why is she deprived of access to credit? To land? To education? To employment? To participation in peace negotiations?" she asked.
"These are existential issues for women who are awaiting concrete answers from all leaders," she said.
International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8 of every year to showcase women's achievements, recognize challenges, and promote awareness about women's rights and gender equality.
