The COVID-19 pandemic led to the loss of jobs for most women in many places including Morocco, however about 700 Moroccan women will benefit from work contracts following an agreement between provincial authorities and the National Agency for the Promotion of Employment and Skills (ANAPEC), State media reports. The two parties concluded employment contracts in favor of women affected by COVID-19-induced economic crisis and the shutdown of the crossing point with the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. The agreement was part of the implementation of the integrated program of economic and social development of the prefecture of M’diq-Fnideq and the province of Tetouan in northern Morocco. Around 107 of the women have so far signed their employment contracts. The contracts will secure job opportunities for women in an industrial unit specializing in textile recycling, the Agency for the Promotion and Development of the North (APDN) announced. The agency expects the number of contracts…

The Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) has joined the 30% club, a global campaign to take action to increase gender diversity in boards and senior management within the workplace, cementing its commitment to enhance gender equality in corporate leadership in Kenya. By joining the 30% club, the NSE will champion for at least 30% representation of women on boards and senior management of companies listed on the NSE and within the larger Capital Markets. Geoffrey Odundo, CEO, NSE said, “We are delighted to join the 30% club as we continue to spearhead gender equality and inclusion in Boards and Senior Management of listed companies. This milestone underscores our commitment to supporting companies leverage on various aspects of diversity to enhance business capabilities in a rapidly changing operating environment.” Zuhura Ogada, CEO, New Revenue Solutions Africa, stewards of 30% Club East Africa said, “We are happy about this collaboration with the NSE and…

Women in Lesotho have always played a major role in food production albeit at a subsistence level. In this patriarchal and gendered society, it is inculcated into every female- from toddlers as young as five years to great grandmothers- that theirs is to till the land and put food on the table for their families. Despite their prowess in farming, most women hardly venture into commercial farming, thanks to the patriarchal system and its attendant customary law precepts which deny women ownership of the land. While the battle continues for the enactment of laws to fully empower women and give them equal access to land as their male counterparts, a new breed of female commercial farmers is gradually emerging. Thirty-six-year-old Thakane Mphatsoane is one such woman blazing the trail and leading the way for female entrepreneurs in this male-dominated sector. Hailing from the tiny village of Ha Molengoane, Nazareth in…

THE African Development Bank (AfDB) through its ‘Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) initiative has partnered with the African Guarantee Fund to unlock between US$1,3 billion and US$2 billion in loans for the continent’s women-owned Small to Medium Enterprises. AfDB said the move signals the launch of AFAWA’s Guarantee for Growth (G4G) programme, which seeks to make available up to US$3 billion in financing for women entrepreneurs through de-risking and technical assistance measures. “The AfDB’s Affirmative Finance Action for Women in Africa (AFAWA) programme has agreed a to partnership with the African Guarantee Fund (AGF) to unlock US$1.3 to US$2 billion in loans to women-owned small and medium-sized enterprises in Africa, by working with financial institutions to enhance their ability to lend to women,” said the regional financial institution. Already, financial institutions in countries such as Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda have signed…