As we celebrate the International Women's Day, I celebrate all women around the world. I also celebrate all women at the African Development Bank.

Everyone is born by a woman. Women give birth to life, but are often deprived of what they need to support a better life.

It goes without saying that women are great leaders.

Women are excellent entrepreneurs. Women are peace makers in their nations and communities. They help to form the balm that heals wounds in conflict affected areas, mediating and securing peace.

Yet, women and children bear the brunt of poverty, lack of property rights, face discrimination in the labor markets, receive lower wages for same work, and face limited opportunities to thrive compared to men. Women are less represented in corporate Boards and in the political space.

We must rally to strongly support women.

Societies where women thrive are more prosperous societies. We must expand economic opportunities for women. We must end gender-based violence and all forms of sexual harassment of women.

At the African Development Bank, we put women at the core of our work and operations. We ask the question of all our projects "what will the projects do for women"? How will they participate? How will they benefit, directly and indirectly?

It is our way of ensuring gender accountability. We are making excellent progress. In 2020, 98% of all of our operations for the public sector were gender-marked, and mainstreamed with gender equality and empowerment of women.

The Bank has started rolling out the Affirmative Finance Action for Women (AFAWA) to help provide $3 billion in new financing for women-owned businesses and women entrepreneurs in Africa. This year alone, AFAWA will help unlock $200 million in new financing for 1,000 women-led small and medium sized enterprises.

We are making good progress in expanding opportunities for women in leadership positions. This year alone, I appointed three new women Director Generals and a woman as Deputy Director General. Of the six Director Generals that I have appointed at the Bank, four of them are women, which represents 67%.

We will continue to improve at all other levels in the Bank. My commitment to expanding opportunities for women is very strong. We will put in place leadership training programs for women and develop pipelines of women leaders at all levels of the Bank.

No bird flies with one wing. We must support women everywhere to thrive. As they do, societies will thrive and prosper.

With gender equality, the world will be a better place.

Happy International Women's Day!