Breaking Barriers: Women Leaders Call for Action at She Forum Africa Conference

…Celebrates 11Years of Women’s Empowerment and Development

Favour Ishember, Abuja

Dr. Inimfon Etuk, Founder of She forum Africa, has emphasized the crucial role of women and girls in advancing development in Africa and globally during the organization’s 11-year anniversary conference in Abuja.

With the themed ” Organize:Get It Done”, Etuk highlighted the importance of prioritizing knowledge, friendship, sisterhood, continuity, and future generations in driving progress.

“What we prioritise is the knowledge, it’s the friendship, it’s the sisterhood, it’s the continuity, it’s the future. That is what brings us together. What binds us is our humanity, that women and girls are a key part of advancing development on our continent as well as the world.

“That is why it is so important to refresh this conversation year-in-year-out. We have taken a new disposition about deepening and in strengthening informed intergenerational agenda, which requires driving global conversations presently.

“We recognize that quite a number of people have walked this part before us. It’s part of a relay and the next generation has picked up their baton and done their part. If you don’t know what you are picking up, how do you know what you are working towards”, she asked.

She stressed that shared humanity binds women together, underscoring the need for ongoing conversations about empowering women and girls.

SheForum Africa has adopted a new approach focused on deepening and strengthening intergenerational agendas through global conversations.

Etuk acknowledged the contributions of previous generations and emphasized the need for the next generation to build upon their work.

Etuk described She Forum Africa as a platform, community, and family where members support and inspire one another. The organization’s mission is to empower women and girls through sisterhood, encouragement, and asking critical questions.

“Essentially, SheForumAfrica is a platform, a community, a family where everyone is like a long lost friend. It’s about aspiring, it’s about inspiring, it’s about encouraging, it’s about sisterhood, and it’s about asking the right questions honestly until the job of empowering women and girls is done.

Etuk concluded by emphasizing the importance of sustaining the conversation about women’s empowerment, even if the task is not completed in one’s lifetime.

“May be it will be done in our lifetime, maybe not but the task is to keep the conversation going.
She Forum Africa remains committed to driving progress and creating a brighter future for women and girls”.

Delivering her key noteaddress, Ayodeji Megbope, CEO of No Left Over Nigeria, shared her personal journey of resilience and determination, overcoming fears and doubts to build a successful business.

She highlighted the barriers women face, including cultural and traditional inequalities, and emphasized the importance of unity and solidarity in overcoming these challenges.

The CEO, praised the She Forum Africa initiative, founded by Inni Efiong, for providing a platform for women to express themselves, advocate for their rights, and build legacies for future generations.

Megbope encouraged women to take action, get involved, and make a difference in their communities, saying, “Enough of the talk, enough of the debating, it’s time for us to get to the grassroots and get our hands dirty.”

She also stressed the need for cross-border skill and knowledge sharing, strengthening networks, and emerging voices for effective representation of women’s issues.

“I know that today we’re not here to dwell on what has held us back, we’re here to focus on how we will overcome these challenges, and break these barriers. One of the greatest strength we have as African women is our unity”

“We must reverence this unity to address the gender issues that continued to hold us back. We must share our strategies, our successes so that every woman no matter where she is, she will know that she’s not alone in this journey”

Megbope concluded by saying, “Together, we can overcome the challenges that lie ahead. Together, we can raise Africa.”