Planning Ministry, NIGSD conclude the 2nd edition of the African Women Leaders Program

Egypt’s Ministry of Planning and Economic Development and the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (NIGSD), the training arm of the Ministry, concluded recently the second edition of the African Women Leaders Training Program, in cooperation with the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development (EAPD), the arm of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs in charge of supporting the efforts of African countries in implementing Africa's Agenda 2063.Dr. Hala El-Said, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, indicated the need to work to promote equal opportunities and mainstream gender perspectives among government structures, in addition to continuing efforts to enhance the role of women in leadership positions and enhance their impact.El-Said stressed the Egyptian government's keenness to contribute effectively to development efforts in the African continent, which is one of its priorities, explaining that empowering African women has become an integral part of the Egyptian government's agenda.El-Said explained that the second edition of the African Women’s Leadership Training Program focuses on enhancing managerial and leadership skills for female participants and contributing to ongoing efforts to promote gender equality, equal opportunities, and governance principles for sustainable development.El-Said pointed out that the program was designed to create a unique platform for learning between two P2P peers, and to create a network that brings together women from all over the continent to share their personal and professional experiences, build and enhance their skills and abilities, and so that they can play a fundamental role in the development of "Africa We Want".Ambassador Mohamed Khalil, Secretary-General of the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development, said that we are meeting here today to witness the conclusion of an important and vital event held here in Egypt with pride, and I would like to express my honor to witness the launching and closing ceremony of the "African Women Leaders Program" organized by the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development in cooperation with the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development.Khalil stressed that empowering women has always been and will always be a priority on the agenda of the Egyptian government, taking into account the strong political support it enjoys, we must all agree that it is no longer a luxury or a transformation, but rather a step to allow acceptance and inclusion of women in the decision-making process in every step of the way.Khalil added that empowering women means giving them the right to (choose) and not being forced or restricted by any social, cultural, political, or economic burden, adding that an essential part of this process is to educate women, increase their awareness, and build their capabilities.Khalil said that the "African Women Leadership" program is a pioneering program that we are proud to participate in, and aims to encourage women to make decisions, take the initiative, go further, believe in themselves, in short (choose) and defend their choices.Khalil stressed that the Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development is committed to giving priority to African women in the capacity-building programs and training courses it provides. He explained that empowering women means empowering the entire nation, based on African wisdom which states that "if you educate a man, you educate an individual, but if you educate a woman, then you educate a nation."During her ceremonial speech, Dr. Sherifa El-Sherif Executive Director of the National Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development expressed gratitude to Dr. Hala El-Said for her continuous support and belief that empowering women is one of the main enablers for achieving sustainable development.El-Sherif added that in line with Africa's Agenda 2063, the African Women Leaders Program is a pioneering initiative that addresses Egypt's commitment to this issue - “Empowering Women” and our desire to develop this mandate outside the boundaries of a single country.
El-Sherif explained that the importance of this program lies in the fact that it can serve as a platform to accelerate current and future women leaders on the continent.




El-Sherif asserted that she is extremely proud of the progress made by the Egyptian state under the leadership of His Excellency President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi. The year 2017 was officially declared as the “Year of Egyptian Women,” and in March of the same year, the National Strategy for Empowering Women was launched. Since then, we've seen women rise to higher leadership positions on a sustainable basis.El-Sherif pointed out that three years ago, there were 6 women ministers represented in the Egyptian Cabinet, and this number has since increased to 8, or 26% of the government. The percentage of MPs in parliament rose to a record high of 15 percent, a huge jump in representation from the level of 2 percent in 2012, and 50.7 percent of civil servants in Egypt are women.El-Sherif pointed out that there is no gender wage gap in the public sector, and in addition to this number, we also have an increase in board representation in both the private and public sectors by 11.6%.El-Sherif emphasized that the participants in the African Women Leadership Program are women who have already clear leadership capabilities, adding that this program this year has gathered more than 100 distinguished participants from 39 countries across the continent, highlighting the importance of empowering women and leadership in shaping the future of our continent.El-Sherif added that although the program can achieve great success from curricula and amazing coaches who deepen the participants' skills and competencies, the real outcome lies in the influence of networks, because participants have the opportunity to learn from some of the most accomplished experts and trainers, and they also have the opportunity to learn from each other.