FOROYAA Newspaper (Serrekunda)
Annia Gaye
1 April 2008
Global Unification the Gambia, on Saturday, 15th March, organised a seminar on the issue of women empowerment and rights to decision-making, at the Kanifing Municipal Council chambers in Kanifing.
Speaking at the seminar, the guest Speaker Mr. Sheikh Omar Fye, coordinator and head of Gender and development Department at MDI, elaborates on the role of women in the unity, construction and development of Africa.
Speaking on this topic, Mr. Fye noted that globally the struggle for the emancipation and promotion of the standards of women has been in existence for centuries. He further noted that women are indeed a force to reckon with, in pursuance of unity, construction and development of Africa. This he said is evident by their triple roles which are productive, reproductive and community roles.
He said that one effective way of bringing about unity and development in Africa is by having women in presidential, ministerial and parliamentary positions to establish productive steering committees geared towards such targets. This he said comprises women focal points across Africa and involve men who are pro-women unity and development in Africa.
Mr. Fye explained that the strategies to adopt include advocacy which, he said, is absolutely essential in the strive for women unity that will bring about development in Africa. Networking, he said is also another strategy to adopt as development cannot be achieved without familiarization, lobbying and building of self confidence; that tolerance and simplicity and leadership skills are other important aspects.
Mr. Fye concluded by calling on all stakeholders to come on board to act rather than being passive "monitoring and effective supervision should be perpetual and productive" he said.
For his part, professor Dr. Nicopemus FRU Awasom, from the University of the Gambia, made a presentation on the issue of Gender mainstreaming which he said is a path to the realisation of Africa's development aspirations. He said that Gender roles are social constructs, meaning that the perception of the other is a historical function of a gradual build up of the other in society.
He said women should be taken as partners and should also be made important agents in the society. "Women need to be uplifted so that they can realize their standards" he said.
Ebrima Dem, of Global unification, said they are committed to the evolutionary task of women because of their strong conviction that the population of women is rapidly increasing, yet women remain the most vulnerable to common difficulties and crises, thus, making it imperative for them to join hands in advancing their lives.
He said that Global unification is a registered research and development association with the sole objective of advancing humanity in the Gambia and beyond. He further said that their areas of focus include human rights, good governance, women's empowerment, and poverty alleviation, amongst others.
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