Poverty and underdevelopment ravaging the African continent might have been caused by the exclusion of women from governance. This was the view of Women’s Power Lunch (WPL), a platform for women leaders and influencers. The group was founded by Mrs. Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode.
Worried by the declining standard of living on the continent, the group regretted that the potential of womanhood had not fully been harnessed and embodied into governance.
“It does seem that especially in these parts (Africa), there is a reluctance to embrace the idea of female authority figures of women in power and leadership. Can you imagine how the narrative of Africa would change if women are given their rightful place at the table? This is why the women who have broken these barriers are such powerful and compelling heroines,” the group noted.
On July 28, influential people from all walks of life, including the former president of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo, and the former president of Malawi, Mrs. Joyce Banda, converged on Lagos to celebrate what they described as the unique strength and valour of womanhood. The group concurred that its aim was to raise women of substance who would care for their generation in politics, economy and other spheres of life.
Convener of the group, Mrs. Aisha Muhammed-Oyebode, daughter of the former head of state, late Muritala Muhammed, identified that women are good role models in every society.
She emphasised that women have already broken so many barriers and debunked many mythical formulations about their alleged inferiority.
“In many respects, politics and governance appear to be the final arbiter in terms of female achievement. Nigerian women are already leading the drive for economic growth and progress. Often underestimated are our mothers, yet, we are all products of their strength, tenacity, courage and resourcefulness,” she averred.
She said she conceived the idea of bringing women from diverse backgrounds together to provide opportunities for them to learn, network, mentor and collaborate with one another with the aim of achieving synergy. More importantly, she argued, it would be an opportunity to showcase women role models and trailblazers on the continent. She said the Women’s Power Lunch series had grown to become one of the leading stops in the international calendar of events dedicated to women and development in Africa.
She said the group had hosted a number of iconic African women, including former South African First Lady, Graca Machel Mandela, who was hosted last year, and the former Malawian President, Mrs. Joyce Banda who was billed to present a keynote address at the event.
She said: “President Banda was credited with reversing the trajectory of an ailing economy that was on the verge of collapse when she took office and initiated a series of economic reforms that increased the country’s economic growth rate from 1.8 per cent to 6.2 per cent in two years. Before assuming the presidency, President Banda served as a member of parliament, Minister of Gender and Child Welfare, Foreign Minister, and Vice President of the Republic of Malawi.
“President Banda strengthened civil institutions and deepened democracy by repealing a number of repressive laws that abridged civil liberties and limited press freedom. One of her first acts upon taking office which signalled the direction of her administration was her sale of the multi-million dollar presidential jet and the donation of 30 per cent of her salary to the Malawi Council for the Handicapped, an organisation that caters for individuals serving with disabilities. This is only a part of the legacy that President Banda left which stands as a shimmering example not only to Malawi but to all of Africa.”
The WPLI convener, who is also the chief executive officer, Murtala Muhammed Foundation, advocated for oneness and unity among women of the continent. Unity, she argued, would serve as a force to shatter barriers that have held women folk backward in many parts of the world.
Said she: “There are barriers rooted in ill-conceived policies and retrogressive traditions that restrict female access to qualitative education. There is the glass barrier that keeps eminently qualified women out of the highest levels of public service and corporate governance even when their talents and competence have been proven repeatedly. There are barriers in the form of unfair standards that ensure women are paid less than men in the workplace, and other allied practices and conventions that are designed to place the toga of inadequacy and inferiority upon womanhood. These barriers have the combined effect of preventing women from living full creative lives and maximising their potential. I have made it my life’s work to challenge these policies that relegate women to sub-optimal lives. If our work at the Murtala Muhammed Foundation can be summed up in one word, it is ‘empowerment.’
“Our mission is to empower women – to give them the tools with which to surmount the obstacles in the path of their self-actualisation – whether it is by promoting girl child education, or enabling female professionals break new grounds in their chosen careers. Our foundation is constantly looking for creative ways of engaging the social, cultural and institutional forces that hold women back with an eye on the big picture – the betterment of our continent and ensuring that we leave behind a more sustainable world for our children.”
Muhammed-Oyebode said Africa’s quest for progress could not be decisively resolved until the issue of the “woman question” was tackled. What then is the woman question? She explained: “Building inclusive societies which create spaces for women to take their place as productive actors in their national economies and politics is essential to promoting sustainable development outcomes. Interestingly, we are in a significant historical moment that highlights the zenith of female possibilities. In the United Kingdom, Theresa Mary has just become the Prime Minister. The United States is hopefully on the verge of electing its first female president, Hillary Rodham Clinton. These landmarks will resonate powerfully with a generation that is too young to have known Indira Gandhi, Margaret Thatcher and Golda Meir.
“However the trajectory of our continent is frightening. The narrative today is desperate, poverty, and under development. That perhaps is not surprising. so long as the 50 per cent of the population that gives birth to the 100 per cent is excluded, perhaps then we cannot complain about this narrative. In fact, I always say, can you imagine how much better our continent would be if our women were all given a chance?”
In his address, Chairman of the Murtala Muhammed Foundation, former President Obasanjo, hailed Banda for the active role she had been playing to support and promote women and women leadership in Africa.
In her address, former President Banda lauded the Murtala Muhammed Foundation for its efforts to “tirelessly work on sustaining the current wave of women in leadership positions in Africa and championing policies of inclusivity on the African continent.”
She said it was abundantly clear that women face the full blunt of poverty, diseases and climate change, among others.
“They have limited access to means of production such as land, financing and technologies. They are discriminated against at workplaces and in public life in general. They are underrepresented in policy-making circles. The list goes on and on and the picture, despite some strides made in some areas, remains less inspiring and remains wanting. The situation simply cannot be allowed to go on without being redressed and reversed.
“As women leaders, it rests upon us to take a leading role in making this happen. We need to ensure formulation of deliberate policies and programmes that benefit women,” she emphasised.
Banda said such policies and programmes must equip the woman with necessary business acumen, necessary marketing skills, necessary business management skills and, above all, give her access to market and financing. “The people to make all this happen are you and I as African women leaders.”



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