2015 is the African Union declared “Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063.”

Women play a cardinal role in any country’s economy and the African Union Commission has called for enhanced efforts to financially empower more women in agribusiness.

Speaking on 10 June at the opening of the 2nd African Union High Level Panel on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment, the African Union Commission Chairperson, H.E Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, represented by AUC Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E Tumusiime Rhoda Peace said more than 70 percent of women in Africa are victims of financial exclusion.

“African women face many barriers in accessing financial services, including the constraints of time and mobility, illiteracy, legal and cultural constraints and sexual discrimination,” she said.

Organised by the AUC’s Women, Gender and Development Directorate, in collaboration with the Department of Rural Economy and Agriculture and development partners, the High Level Panel, themed, ‘Financial Inclusion of Women in Agribusiness,’ is being held at the margins of the 25th Ordinary Session of the AU Heads of State and Government Summit and is one of six priority areas identified in January 2015 by the AU Commission to be implemented during the year.

Dr. Dlamini-Zuma emphasised the importance of the relationship between women empowerment and the development of Africa, which is key to Agenda 2063.

This year’s theme builds on the outcomes of last year’s AU declared Year of Agriculture and Food security, which concluded with the AU Heads of State and Government committing to the Malabo Declaration. The Malabo Declaration on Africa Accelerated Agricultural Growth and Transformation (3AGT); adopted seven key commitments which are gender cross-cutting.

The Commitments include:

1. Recommitment to the Principles and Values of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Process

2. Commitment to Enhancing Investment Finance in Agriculture

3. Commitment to Ending Hunger in Africa by the year 2025

4. Commitment to agriculture contributing to poverty reduction at least by half by the year 2025, through Inclusive Agricultural Growth and Transformation

5. Commitment to tripling Intra-African Trade in Agricultural commodities and services, by the year 2025

6. Commitment to Enhancing Resilience of Livelihoods and Production Systems to Climate Variability and other related risks

7. Commitment to Mutual Accountability to Actions and Results

Dr. Dlamini-Zuma bemoaned the fact that African women continue to labour in the 21st century with outdated means such as the hoe, the machete, the pestle and mortar as well as the grinding stone.

She expressed the Commission’s vision that in 2015 and beyond, African women should have access to new technologies and work in a modernized and mechanized agricultural sector to enhance the commitment and vision of the African Union, namely, that the Hand-held hoe should be relegated to agricultural museums!

Consequently, the AUC on June 14, 2015 will launch an advocacy campaign during the Summit by handing tillers symbolically to all 54 AU Member States translating the commitment of the countries to mechanize agriculture and reduce the physical and moral suffering of African women.

South Africa’s Minister in the Presidency Ms. Susan Shabangu noted that Africa’s Agenda 2063 would be judged by its commitment to gender equality and women’s empowerment.

She emphasised the need to absorb more women into mainstream economic activities, noting that, “The reality is that a more diverse business has a better understanding of markets that are themselves diverse in terms of gender.”