In the present world, girls and boys have equal rights, although, from history, we have learned girls in many countries were not treated properly like boys/male children; now, across the world, the situation has changed. In March 2024, I visited as a Resource Person (to deliver talk) in Mannargudi in the Thiruvarur district of Tamil Nadu, India, where a renowned women’s college viz., Sengamala Thayaar Educational Trust Women’s College, is located. The institution started in 1994 with 155 students (girls/women), now more than 4,000 students, all girls/women hailing from different religions, castes, and rural areas, were attending.
Anyway, I was in some African countries and observed girls were interested in attending school and college. In this article, exclusively based on the World Bank Newsletter (worldbank.org/en/news/), cases from five African countries about girls/women’s situations are presented.
The women and girls across the African continent desire to learn and dream of a better future where they can simultaneously pursue their education, stay healthy, find work, and care for their families. The latest World Bank’s Women, Business, and the Law report highlights that Sub-Saharan Africa continues to advance reforms to close the legal gender gap. Still, a broad gap remains between laws on paper and the reality on the ground.
Here are five cases of change that highlight the voices of girl champions from the region, having ripple effects within their communities and entire countries and economies. The cases are from Guinea, Benin, Congo Republic, Nigeria, and Guinea-Bissau. The cases are very interesting, and I am thankful that the World Bank has shared the Newsletter with me, so credit goes to them fully.
1) Aissata Tidiane Toure, a construction engineer turned gender activist from Guinea
Aissata Toure (24 years old) is from Tiro in the central region of Faranah in Guinea. When she was 16 years old, she established with other friends the Club des Jeunes Filles Leaders de Guinée, a safe space supported by the Sahel Women’s Empowerment and Demographics (SWEDD) project that brings together young girls to share experiences and learn life skills.
“The club has enabled me to become a leader and to take several training courses on gender-based violence (GBV), which has given me the opportunity to become this strong girl who champions girls’ rights,” she explains.
And this young activist has left an indelible mark on the remote villages of her region, courageously fighting against issues such as early marriage and female genital mutilation.
2) King of the Seas and the Oceans and Spiritual Leader Daagbo Hounon Houna II preaches for girls’ education (spiritual leader of the Voodoo cult and chair of the National Religious Platform in Benin)
His Majesty “Dada, King of the Seas and Oceans,” a spiritual leader of the Voodoo cult and chair of the National Religious Platform in Benin, strongly advocates for keeping girls in school and improving women’s and girls’ place in society.
“All children are born equal, and girls can do the same things as boys. No discrimination should be allowed. The Voodoo community has been holding seminars on girls’ education to help ensure the well-being of our nation.”
Benin, like other countries in Africa, is facing a demographic boom. Thus, for the religious leader, it is imperative that his generation pave the way for the next by focusing on children’s education – especially for girls. “We tell young girls not to be distracted. Education is the mother of all success.”
Chief Daagbo Hounon Houna II is also an ambassador of the SWEDD project who travels from hamlets to villages to spread the message of equal opportunities, education, and good health.
3) Josephine Bouanga, a pioneer in organic produce committed to fighting malnutrition (Republic of Congo):
Passionate, audacious, and creative, the agricultural engineer Josephine Bouanga launched her entrepreneurial venture in 2001 with an initial investment of 300,000 CFA francs. She succeeded in establishing Enoce Bio, a company specializing in the processing and promoting local agricultural products. Her ambition: “to fight malnutrition through the virtues of plants.”
In addition to its flagship product, children’s flour, Enoce Bio offers a range of organic and therapeutic agricultural products. The company employs 25 people: 17 women and 8 men. She said, “Most of them are orphans whom I trained myself.”
4) Rukayya, a soya bean trader and advocate for women’s entrepreneurship (Nigeria):
Rukayya Adamu from the Maiyama community in Kebbi state, north-west Nigeria, used to sell firewood. “It was the only thing I could do. I had no skill or money to do other businesses,” she says.
But today, she runs a business that sells soya beans, providing her with a more sustainable source of income for her family.
Through a women’s affinity group supported by the World Bank-financed Nigeria for Women Project, Rukayya learned of the environmental dangers of firewood while also gaining skills to identify an alternative – and more profitable – business.
After training in financial literacy, gender dynamics, life skills, and business management, Rukayya now practices informed financial management, contributing to her community’s shift towards sustainable practices and environmental consciousness.
The women’s group is helping thousands of women like Rukayya to become agents of change by fostering sustainable livelihoods and a greener society. So far, “over 400,000 women have benefited from the program in six states across Nigeria”.
5) Aissatu Injai, building roads to end gender-based violence from Guinea-Bissau:
“Girls and boys live in separate worlds… Boys are taught to be leaders; girls are taught domestic work,” says Aissatu Injai, President of the National Network to Fight Gender-Based Violence and Violence against Children in Guinea-Bissau (RENLUV).
From a young age, Aissatu witnessed the high prevalence of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and female genital mutilation (FGM) in her community and knew she wanted to change the narrative. “Women don’t always know that they are victims… We want women to know their rights, to know that violence is not acceptable, and what they can do if it happens.”
Founded in 2004, RENLUV is a network of 54 organizations that promote training, advocacy, and monitoring of GBV. Since 2020, RENLUV has worked with the World Bank on the Rural Transport Project to help mitigate the risk of increased GBV by training road workers, raising community awareness, and providing support to the survivors.
The cases are interesting and represent different activities, so I hope readers will be interested in reading the article.
Prof Shankar Chatterjee, Hyderabad
Track2Training 
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