Siphakeme .Mnindwa
DEMOGRAPHIC trends point to Africa as the world’s youngest continent. At the centre of the continent’s development trajectory ahead of the African Union’s (AU) Agenda 2063 initiative is the empowerment of women and youth by listening to their ideas. Our Correspondent, Gibson Nyikadzino (GN) interviewed Dr Hanan Morsy (HM), Egypt’s candidate for the position of Deputy Chairperson of the AU Commission in the forthcoming elections scheduled for, on her recent visit to Zimbabwe. Below are excerpts from the interview:
GN: What motivated you to apply for this post and what do you think you are going to contribute to the organisation if you win?
HM: The motivation is my love for Africa and unwavering belief in its potential. We have challenges in terms of having more than half of the poverty group in Africa, we have more than 600 million people without electricity. But I do not only see challenges, I see enormous potential in terms of the continent being the youngest and only becoming younger. And this is associated with both energy and innovation. But also having enormous potential for renewable energy. We have 60 percent of the global potential for solar energy. We have huge reserves of critical minerals crucial for the whole world to move into green transition and growth. All this needs to be fostered and utilised so that we have the Africa we want by 2060.
Secondly, is the growing importance of the AU, both at global and regional level. At a global level, we see all these rising geopolitical tensions. We see an increasing tendency for protectionist measures and a retrenchment from multilateralism. And only a strong AU that unites us and protects the interests of African countries can help in this situation. At a regional level, we need an AU that fosters our regional integration and drive the implementation of very important initiatives like the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement (AfCFTA).
What will I bring? I have experience in transformative reforms for institutions. I have led the enhancement of the assessment of development impact of operations at the African Development Bank. I also have large experience in terms of leading and transforming teams, which would be very relevant to the AU and also in terms of building internal capacity. I believe one of the critical skills that I would bring to this role is the ability to build consensus. I have been doing this for many years and I believe that this is a key skill that is needed to be able to unite African member states of the AU and to deliver results for the continent.
GN: What is the key or priority area you want to tackle first or to give advocacy to, if you win?
HM: There are three priorities. First, in terms of accelerating the delivery of the institutional reforms that have already been approved by African Heads of State and Government for the AU. It is important for the reforms to be built with internal capacity within the AU. The second area is to make sure that we are mobilising additional resources and diversifying the sources. There are certain areas that have not been sufficiently tapped and tapping and diversifying the sources of funding would be critical. And the last area of priority for me is around having a people-centric approach. And here, I think one of the key issues that we really need to focus on is stronger engagement of the AU with African citizens, particularly women and youth.
GN: Kindly explain what informs your view on women and the youth?
HM: I believe that the strength and sustainability of the AU will be a function of engagement with the citizens. Because at the end of the day, African member states and African governments are accountable to the citizens and to connect to its mission. And here, we need to ensure that it is not just done through inviting women and youth to events. We need to make sure that it is through having their voices heard throughout the process of decision making. It is important to have a multi-stakeholder approach on how to engage them. And that would be one of the things that I would like to focus on.
GN: How will you lobby for the inclusion of women as part of a gender mainstreaming process in various projects to ensure equitable redistribution of resources or access to equal opportunities?
HM: I have worked on gender mainstreaming throughout my career at both the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development; and the African Development Bank. On how to mainstream gender into operations and policies that needs to be part of what we need to see at the AU. But another area that I have worked extensively on, is issues of gender inclusion and access to finance. This is an area that has a lot of work that needs to happen on it because women represent a large share of the small and medium enterprises.
They are actually the engine for driving jobs, for employing other women. Therefore, it is very important to ensure that they have equality of opportunity in terms of access to finance.
GN: When it comes to financial inclusion, do you think targeted people understand financial literacy and what needs to be improved?
HM: Some of the things we need to work on range from financial literacy for women that are leading and managing enterprises to actually work on regulation. For example, some of the things that can help women have better access to finance is to have movable asset registries. Because while it depends on the African continent, a lot of the properties tend to be owned by men.
But women own different types of things, whether it is cattle or jewellery. And usually this is not accounted when you are applying for a loan. So, having registries that can take into account this can help them have access. There would be many things that we need to take into account from policies and strategies to the regulation side. And we need to ensure that the voice of women is heard throughout. This is an example of how we can also better integrate the voices of youth, women and local communities, which will be really critical going forward.
GN: How significant is it for a rural girl, a young lady, who is also aspiring for a higher position, to start a business or enjoy similar forms of empowerment as any other?
HM: There are two things. Never to think something is impossible to do, because you need to do your best and believe in yourself. And also, to put at the centre, the mission of what you want to do. A mission that is bigger than you, which is basically helping others, supporting African countries, supporting African citizens, supporting African initiatives and making a difference. I strongly believe in the ability of young people and that Africa can have a fantastic transformative future as long as we empower them to contribute to that.
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