Bridging the Gender Gap: Women Empowerment in Africa

By Chidiogo Akunyili-Parr (ADEL) & Nihal El Mquirmi

The African Union declared 2010-2020 as the African Women's Decade. By devoting an entire Decade to women, African leaders have demonstrated their political will and commitment to promoting gender equality, women’s empowerment and women’s rights. Progress was made in translating commitment into measurable action, as most African countries took giant steps to elevate the status of women through legal and constitutional means, institutional gender mechanisms as well as creating conducive environments for women to realize their potential. In today's conversation, Chidiogo Akunyili-Parr, Founder of SheROARS, Director of Community Building and Communications at the Ubuntu Foundation and an Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leader, defines women empowerment, talks about the developments in Africa in terms of advancing gender equality, and discusses her work to empower African women to unleash their full potential.