Business
The African Woman: An Evolving Enigma
When Women Lead
Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf became the 24th president of Liberia in 2006, becoming the first elected female head of state in Africa. When a fire broke out at the Executive Mansion of Liberia on July 26, 2006, seriously damaging the structure, instead of renovating, the president called funding for the repairs a low priority in the face of more pressing needs; that is the heart of a woman. She transferred her office to the nearby Foreign Ministry building and even chose to live in her personal home. Although Liberia still ranks close to the bottom of Human Development Index (HDI) at 174th position, Johnson-Sirleaf’s effort at improving the company’s economy is yielding results. Poverty rate reduced from 64 percent to 56 percent between 2007 and 2010, according to africaneconomicoutlook.org.
Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, arguably the best thing to happen to Nigeria’s economy, has led an unstable economy to one predicted to record 7.3 percent GDP growth for 2014, according the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Although some economic experts might argue to the contrary, records prove that the country has experienced unprecedented economic stability; Nigeria couldn’t have gotten a better Minister of Finance.
Joyce Banda has been president of Malawi since 2012. She restored severed diplomatic ties with the international community; her predecessor, Bingu wa Mutharika had accused them of interfering in his government with plans to topple it. In order to reduce government spending, Banda sold her jet for $15 million. She also sold a fleet of 60 luxury cars held by her predecessor.
The Facts
Women account for about 50 percent of the world’s total population. Unfortunately, two-third’s of the women population is illiterate. In addition, the world percentage of women in parliament is currently 16.6%. In Africa, a greater percentage of the total population consists of women and female children.
According to the World Bank, women account for 50.1 percent of the sub-Saharan Africa’s population (2011 estimate), but female literacy is still low. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) records that 38 percent of African adults are illiterates two-thirds of which are women. This statistics shows what Africa is missing out. If the ‘few’ literate women can contribute this much to Africa’s economy, how much more would women contribute with higher literacy levels?
Although, stigma and discrimination against African women still exists in some spheres of society, Africa has come along way from past practices. Women have proved us wrong. They are more than just baby-making machines and home keepers. More so, if a woman can successfully manage the economy of a household, why can’t she manage an economy?
