By Bui Minh Long, Tu Qi and Xu Jianmei     

    HANOI, June 7 (Xinhua) -- African women, in globalization process, encounter three major challenges: poor access to information, little use of technology and health complications fueled by many diseases and economic disadvantages, Luisa Dias Diogo, the first woman prime minister of Mozambique, told Xinhua in an exclusive interview here Saturday.

    "First of all, it (the challenge) is access to communication, information and knowledge," the prime minister, who is attending the 18th Global Summit of Women held here and was awarded Global Women's Leadership Award by the summit on Friday, said.

    She noted that with poor or without access to information, African women are unprepared to respond to opportunities and challenges posed by globalization, failing to take advantage of it.

    African women need the same tools as their peers in other continents to perform their tasks together, and compete with each other, she said.

    Another challenge, which is closely related to information and knowledge, is the use of technology. "You can't use technology if you are uneducated. If you don't use technology in everything you do, you do in more time than others," Diogo said.

    Lower productivity means African women working in all sectors are "always one step back" from others. "Technology gives you tools to run faster than others," she said.

    The third challenge is consequences of diseases, plus local situations, which make African women weaker. "African women have to face many diseases.. In Africa, the level of HIV/AIDS is very high," the Mozambican prime minister said.

    Women in other parts of the world do not have to care too much about common diseases, even HIV/AIDS because they have abundant resources like sufficient supplies of anti-retroviral drugs or follow-up treatment. For a number of African women, even pregnancy and childbirth is a problem, she said.

    However, Africa has some comparative advantages, including more natural resources and younger population which mean people are more active, enthusiastic, and ready to take more risks and work faster, she noted.

    With greater access to knowledge-based resources, "I think African women have more opportunities to perform in globalization," the prime minister said, noting that her country's illiteracy rate was around 52 percent in 2007, down from over 90 percent in 1975, and its gross domestic product is nine billion U.S. dollars currently, up from three billion dollars some years ago.

    Women in Africa in general and in Mozambique in particular are playing an increasingly bigger role in various spheres, including political arena and economic development, especially poverty reduction.

    "The role of women in Africa in fighting against poverty is very important, very very important because she is doing the job, no doubt. She works in the most important area, that is agriculture," the prime minister said.

    The women also play an important part in families, core units in African societies which are often affected by conflicts and such natural disasters as flood and earthquakes. After families and nations are hit by the incidents, "women have the role to bring family again together in order to reunite the country," she said.

    "Women (in Mozambique) are performing very well in informal sector, no doubt. They are leading the informal sector. Some of them are moving from informal sector to formal one... We need to stimulate and promote the assignment (women taking leadership in big companies)."

    Mozambican women have also been doing very well in politics, much better than in economic area, she stated, noting that 37 percent of parliament members are women, and that out of 29 cabinet members, 11 are women, including seven ministers and four deputy ministers in charge of important fields.

    According to the prime minister, good women leaders should, besides necessary characters like men, "study every time," "have to be always alert," and work harder to overcome prejudice against women, and more importantly, help other women, really taking care of them.

    "Work hard and hard.. The fruit will come later, don't try to get the fruit immediately because you can get lost."

    The Mozambican prime minister also advised women leaders, especially African ones to act in a very natural manner. "Try to be natural, first of all. Don't imitate men… If you like to smile, just smile. It is a powerful tool, use it!"

    To balance work and family, women should seek support, from other family members, especially their husbands, and fully utilize their limited time to deal with domestic matters, she said, noting that success is "when you see results and feel happy with the results."

    "Success means realization of what you think and the best things you could do for you, for your family and for the country," she said, adding that "do what she wishes to do and do it well" if a woman wants to be happy and successful.