A Professor Emerita of the Institute of African Studies at the University of Ghana, Takyiwa Manuh, has impressed on African leaders, the need to promote the interests of women in the formulation of their development policies.
According to her, though there has been an improvement in women representation in governmental establishments and top positions, the teething issues confronting women and girls still require attention.
Citing examples of women’s work in the pharmaceutical industry, for instance, Prof. Manuh stressed the need to train them to enhance their traditional skills to meet modern ones.
She was speaking at IE Africa’s seminar in Accra where she also underscored the need for the youth to be given hope to at least minimize their exodus to Europe.
“Often when we hear about youth unemployment in Africa, that is the fear that it is going to spill over into out migration schemes. Of course, everybody thinks that youth and then people are going to cross the Mediterranean and head to Europe.”
“I do believe that the government and the private sector and everybody in Africa really need to act and give hope to young people in Africa that the future is here and not across the Mediterranean. It is about creating societies where young people can feel they have a future, and the young people include young women as well,” Prof. Manuh observed.
She added that although women constitute less than half of migrants from Africa, they are often the more consistent contributors to their families upkeep on the continent.
“We find that increases in the migration scheme, women are very present as both skilled and care workers. They are migrating alone to work or as family reunification schemes…They send remittances and it has shown that women have steadier remittance than men and even though they may be sending smaller amounts, they do so in a more consistent and on a regular basis,” she stressed.
Meanwhile, the founder of Soft tribe, Herman Chinery Hesse, stressed the need to capitalize on data which indicates that half of all eighteen-year-olds will be Africans by 2030, by creating opportunities for the youth to thrive.
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By: Pius Amihere Eduku | citinewsroom.com | Ghana |
