World Summit on Gender 2019, a major step forward for African women

The World Summit on Gender organized under the aegis of the African Development Bank and the Republic of Rwanda began today. This High Level Summit is being held from 25 to 27 November 2019, at the Kigali Convention Centre, Kigali, Rwanda. This biennial event brings together leaders from governments, development institutions, the private sector, civil society and academia from around the world. For the first time, it was held on the African continent. Under the theme quotUnlocking the barriers to gender equalityquot, the summit examines three important dimensions for the effectiveness of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Over the three days, workshops and exchanges will focus on supporting the growth of innovative financing; creating more enabling legal, regulatory and institutional environments; and promoting and ensuring women's participation and voice. The main objective of the summit is to share best practices and catalyze investments to accelerate progress on gender equality and women's empowerment in Africa and around the world. The Summit is also a platform for concrete actions to unblock obstacles to gender equality. During his intervention at the opening ceremony, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank, highlighted the importance of networking among African women. Dr. Akinwumi Adesina spoke about the great positive impact that the Platform will have on 50 Million African Women Speak. The AfDB President also highlighted the particularity of this innovation as a concrete solution for networking and lobbying women on the continent.