Eguria

                  WOMEN IN AFRICA’S DEVELOPMENT            In Africa, women represent 51 per cent of the population and can be found in all professions and branches of activity. Although their contributions may not be officially recognized, it is undeniable that their role is critical to the economic development of their respective countries. Between 60 and 80 per cent of all agricultural labour in Africa is undertaken by women, who are found all along the food chain. The Africa woman sows, reaps, transports, processes and sells the food. At least 50 per cent of food production is provided by women. Women start working from childhood and contribute until the day when they are too tired to do so. In the rural areas women work even when they are pregnant, up until the time of birth, because it is they who must satisfy the basic needs of their families....

                           WOMEN IN DEVELOPMENT           Africa is in the grip of a quiet but profound transformation. The Africa woman, whose contribution to society have frequently been overlooked, is suddenly finding herself liberated from many of the constraints placed upon her in the past. Balancing her newly discovered political and economic power with her customary role as family provider and nurturer; she is seeking her way in a continuously changing social landscape. How does she reconcile the needs of her family with her own personal goals? On the threshold of new era, she remains suspended between traditions and modernity. The United Nations Decade for Women that was inaugurated in 1975 and concluded at the U.N. World Conference on Women held in Nairobi in 1985 fostered recognition of the contribution being made by Africa Women to the cause of nation building. Among other ...