1. African Women Leadership Conference
Freetown, Sierra Leone
Bintumani Hotel
Summary Report
Prepared by: Meima Sirleaf-Karneh
Assistant Minister; Research, Policy and Planning
Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Protection-Liberia
May 23-25, 2016

2. The Women in Leadership conference under the theme: Women Engineering
Change, Accelerating the pace in Achieving Results-Touching and Changing
Lives, and Contributing to Sustainable Development, was organized by the
Ministry of Social Welfare, Gender and Children’s Affairs of the Republic of
Sierra Leone and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality the Empowerment
of Women (UN Women).
The goal of the conference was to look into issues of women’s empowerment and
gender equality across the globe, and most importantly Africa. It also sought to
situate the African women in the Sustainable Development Goals.
The conference brought together a cross section of more than two hundred women
in leadership from Sierra Leone and across Africa. The women leaders included,
Ministers, Chiefs, Mayors, Council members, Diplomats, traditional and religious
as well as students.
H. E. President Dr. Ernest Bai Koroma of the Republic of Sierra Leone delivered
the keynote address of three days conference which ran from May 23 to the 25.
President Koroma pointed out that it has been proven beyond all doubt that
societies where women are empowered and effectively participate in decision
making, there is greater correlation with improved social indicators. He further
urged the African continent for the need to mobilize efforts using the Sustainable
Development Goals as a pathway to attain gender parity by 2030.
President Koroma reaffirmed his government’s commitment to gender equality and
women’s empowerment by ensuring the full implementation of both national and
international obligations.
The three days conference focused on several thematic areas including,; Case
studies and best practices on women in leadership from Liberia, Malawi, Sierra
Leone, Zimbabwe and South Sudan and Uganda.
Other areas included harnessing women’s leadership skills towards development in
Africa, Strategies for positioning women leadership in the SDGs among others.

3. Liberia made a presentation on the topic: How can we achieve a critical mass in
women leadership in politics and economics; and how can we sustain the gains?
The Liberianexperience. Fullpresentation attached.
Additionally, Liberia worked with two thematic areas along with South Sudan and
others. These were; 1. Challenges faced by women leaders in the pursuance of
gender equality and women’s empowerment and 2. Strategies for positioning
women in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Several challenges were outlined that face women in Africa. Some of them
include illiteracy and low self esteem, poverty, early marriage, lack of information,
cultural and family issues, women and supporting women, patriarchy and many
others.
Some strategies proposed to address these challenges were; education and training,
life skills and exposure, access to information, special funds to assist women,
women must join political parties and vie for party leadership positions and women
must get involve with community development activities.
On the SDGs, It was proposed among others that the gender equity goal along is
not enough for women participation, instead, women empowerment and gender
equality must be mainstreamed in all of the seventeen goals to improve the
situation of women in the world.
A full report of the conference will be submitted by the Conference secretariat
later.