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KIGALI, July 16 (Xinhua) -- African Union (AU) has called for African women inclusion and empowerment as the continent sets strategies to realize its Agenda 2063 goals.
Mahawa Kaba Wheeler, director of women, gender and development at the African Union Commission (AUC) made the remarks on Friday while addressing reporters on the sidelines of the ongoing 27th African Union (AU) Summit in Rwanda's Capital, Kigali.
Rwanda hosts the continental level meeting from July 10th to 18th under the theme; "2016: African Year of Human Rights, with particular focus on the Rights of Women."
"As we deliberate Africa Agenda 2063, we should ensure that African women empowerment is inclusive in the whole process. There can be no sustainable progress without progress for girls and women," emphasized Kaba Wheeler.
She added that empowered African women will lead to greater stability and prosperity in their families which ultimately promotes economic wealth across the continent.
Agenda 2063 is the African continent approach to effectively learn from the lessons of the past, build on the progress and strategically exploit all possible opportunities available to ensure positive socio-economic transformation within the next 50 years.
According to Kaba Wheeler, removing social and economic barriers that impede women from fully enjoying their human rights, and participate in the economic prosperity in Africa, will enable Africa realize its development goals.
She noted that AU is still struggling to remove the structural foundations of inequality.
"Women must be at the centre and front of agenda 2063. Girls need better access to education, decent work and economic opportunities. They need more help to combat maternal mortality, genital mutilation and poverty as well as protection from violence at the hands of men and boys," the AU official said.
"Women represent more than half of the continent and to realize demographic dividend of our continent, we need to make sure that both women and girls have to contribute their share with men and boys in the development process in Africa,"Wheeler added.
She also highlighted Maputo Protocol, urging African nations to align the protocol with women development programs in their sectors of the economy.
Maputo Protocol was adopted by the African Union on 11 July 2003, in the form of a protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights. Enditem
