RDF Strategies is this month featured in Business Chief Middle East & Africa, in an article looking at the need for greater diversity in African business. The piece, titled, ‘Propelling African women is essential to African business’ was written by RDF Managing Partner, Dr Nkiru Balonwu, and examines the importance of women for the globalisation of African Businesses at large.
In Africa we face a unique set of challenges. The Goalkeepers Report, produced by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, shows that by 2050, if our current global social and economic practices are not changed, 85% of all those living in extreme poverty in the world will be situated on the African continent. Half of them will be distributed in two countries: The Democratic Republic of Congo, and Nigeria.
What if a key solution to Africa’s challenges was in fully engaging and mobilising its women? After all, you cannot win by playing only half your team. And as Mao Zedong once said, women hold up half the sky. As Africans, we need to understand that this is not a zero sum game. Promoting the careers of women does not hinder the careers of men.
The article was originally published on the Business Chief website on Monday 8th December, and can be read in full here.
