High level panel of African women political leaders

Madrid, November 6, 2020. On November 9, 2020, the webinar “The power of women and good governance in the COVID-19 era” will take place. The Women for Africa Foundation, the Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development and the International-African Alliance for Women’s Empowerment join their voices to support the political campaigns of African women candidates and listen to their experiences as political leaders.

This webinar aims to reflect the importance of strengthening women’s political leadership and enabling them to successfully run electoral campaigns, mobilize voters, and make visible the urgent need for women to rise to senior management positions to address the great structural challenges of the covid-19 era and advance in the fulfillment of the SDGs.

The pandemic has made structural deficiencies more visible than ever. Governments are implementing containment measures to contain the virus without a true gender analysis and with few policies to protect the most vulnerable social sectors. Cases of violence against women increase as the confinement continues and, although some countries have made little progress in combating gender-based violence, much remains to be done.

The conference, while promoting the union of women leaders and the private sector in the common cause of supporting African women leaders in their political careers, will analyze the keys to “good governance” and the political leadership of women, as well as the main challenges and issues that must be addressed to enable fair and equitable development.

For this, we will be fortunate to have brilliant women leaders who have held or are now seeking political positions of the highest level:

• Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, Former President of Liberia, President of Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf Presidential Center for Women and Development and current Co-Chair of the Independent Panel on Pandemic Preparedness and Response
• Mª Teresa Fernández de la Vega, former Vice President of the Government of Spain and President of the Women for Africa Foundation
• Catherine Samba-Panza, former President of the Central African Republic and current candidate for the presidency in the December 2020 presidential elections
• Marie-Louise Coleiro, President Emeritus, Republic of Malta. UNIDO Goodwill Ambassador for Equality and a Champion for the Third Industrial Decade for Africa
• Makale Traoré, candidate for the presidency in the October 2020 presidential elections of Guinea Conakry
• Brigitte Dzogbenuku, vice presidential candidate in the December 2020 presidential election in Ghana
• Marie-Sylvie Hervo-Akendengué, candidate for the presidency in the 2023 presidential elections in Gabon
• Oley Dibba-Wadda, President of the Gam Africa Leadership Institute and current Executive Secretary of the Association for the Development of Education in Africa organized by the African Development Bank

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