African first ladies champion education, health

The Organisation of African First Ladies for Development (OAFLAD) convened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, recently, on the sidelines of the African Union General Assembly. The organisation expressed its commitment to enhancing regional collaboration, with a significant emphasis on educating children.OAFLAD has themed its campaign: &#039;Educating girls and transforming Africa: improving access to health and education for African women and girls in the 21st century.&#039;Former first lady Monica Geingos, the president of OAFLAD, was scheduled to officiate the event but delegated Dr Veronica Theron, her technical advisor, to officiate on her behalf. The meeting, attended by first ladies from member countries, observed a minute of silence in honour of the late Namibian president Hage Geingob.Youth an assetAna Dias Lourenço, Angola&#039;s first lady, stated that Africa is growing and emphasised the importance of the continent&#039;s growing youth population in changing the course of its development.Lourenço said Africa can reap the benefits of its youth population by empowering young people to become a huge driving force for political stability, economic progress, technological innovation and sustainable development.“On our continent, the young population is the majority and is active. Investments in education, which should be at higher levels, will help to break the intergenerational cycles of poverty and boost the growth and development of our countries,” she said.Lourenço said that in its 2024 budget, the Angolan government doubled the allocation of resources to the education and health sectors.“Education and health in Africa are, and must always be, a priority. In Angola, it is already a priority, but we still face the challenge of equitable development for the well-being of all Angolan women and men, particularly girls and boys,” she said.Foundation for developmentDuring her presentation, the first lady of Kenya, Rachel Ruto, confirmed the commitment of the Kenyan government to school enrolment and transition for all children, as well as universal healthcare access for all Kenyans, laying the foundation for social and economic development in the nation.Ruto urged her counterparts to be intentional in educating children and giving them access to health services, which open them up to a world of unlimited opportunities and a dignified life.“I am the voice of the children of Kenya. I will be championing the welfare of children, with a key focus on child trafficking, abandonment, and abuse. This campaign will be launched in April, and I urge the other first ladies from Africa to join the cause and make it a continental campaign,” she said.Equality for allDenise Nyakeru Tshisekedi, first lady of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, said OAFLAD aims to highlight the important work of member states and share a global overview of the impact of their collective efforts.“Most importantly, we hope to interrogate the links between education and health outcomes and understand how this contributes to sustainable development,” Tshisekedi said.To date, 13 member states have responded to their #WeAreEqual campaign, aligned with specific national priorities and empowerment opportunities.The campaign focuses on four critical areas of action: health, gender-based violence, economic empowerment and education, and identifies specific areas requiring OAFLAD&#039;s urgent attention.

African first ladies champion education, health

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-18

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African first ladies champion education, health

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Namibian Sun 2025-04-18

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