This week our Women in Finance – New Faces New Voices Chapter hosts a two-week long expo in Abuja, Nigeria. The expo promises investment, networking, trade promotion opportunities and viable exchange of products and services. It is expected that close to 1000 participants from across 18 African countries will avail themselves to this event.
The expo will also include skills transfer engagements, sessions to formalize NFNV Nigeria’s Women Cross Border Trade project as well as conversations with African Women CEOs attended by 50 African women entrepreneurs.
The Trust would like to appreciate and honour the leadership displayed in promoting women’s economic empowerment in Nigeria and the West Africa region. We believe this pioneer EXPO is a wonderful initiative which will promote women networking for business across the Continent and enhance inter Africa trade.
We therefore congratulate NFNV Nigeria on this and wish them a successful EXPO. We acknowledge Mrs Aisha Aminu and the whole team and the stakeholders that have partnered with them to make this possible. Their programs and activities contribute extensively to the movement building mission of the Graça Machel Trust that seeks to attain our vision of; “Nurturing caring societies that value social justice, promote, and protect the rights of women and children” as well as the mission that seeks to “Amplify women’s movements, influence governance and promote women’s contributions and leadership in the economic, social and political development of Africa; and advocate for the protection of children’s rights and dignity.”
Read more on our Women in Finance Network here
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Education is a fundamental right for all children, which is also a vehicle for social, economic and political transformation in communities, countries and the African continent at large. Recent studies indicate a lack of progress in some of the critical commitments aimed at improving education quality, access, retention and achievement, particularly for girls. In most African countries, girls may face barriers to learning, especially when they reach post-primary levels of education. By implementing multi-dimensional approaches to education which includes core education, personal development, life skills and economic competencies, the Trust partners with funding partners, governments, civil societies and the private sector to improve education access.
The Nutrition and Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child and Adolescent Health and Nutrition, (RMNCAH+N) of the Children’s Rights and Development Programme aims at promoting the Global Strategy for women, children and adolescents’ health within the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) agenda. The strategy emphasises on the importance of effective country leadership as a common factor across countries making progress in improving the health of women, children and adolescents.
Through its Early Childhood Development (ECD) plan, The Trust will seek to put into action the new science and evidence Report that was presented by Lancet Series on Good and early development – the right of every child. This will be achieved by mobilising like-minded partners to contribute in the new science and evidence to reach all young children with ECD. The Trust’s goal is to be a catalyst for doing things differently, in particular, to rid fragmentation and lack of coordination across ECD sectors. In response to evidence showing the importance of political will in turning the tide against the current poor access and quality of ECD. Even before conception, starting with a mother’s health and social economic conditions, the early years of a child’s life form a fundamental foundation that determines whether a child will survive and thrive optimally.