The first day of the Women Can Lead Gender Mainstreaming Training opened with a challenge from Dr. Otive Igbuzor, Founding Executive Director of the African Centre for Leadership, Strategy & Development (Centre LSD):
Knowledge must produce changed practice.
In his opening remarks, Dr. Otive emphasised that creating space for women to lead cannot be the responsibility of women alone. Institutions, communities, traditional and faith leaders, civil society organisations, men and other holders of influence all have a role to play in examining the systems, practices and norms that determine who participates, whose voice is heard and who exercises power.
He identified five shifts to define the spirit of the training:
- From awareness to action.
- From participation to influence.
- From individual champions to institutional systems.
- From bystanders to allies.
- From training to measurable results.
And perhaps the most important question of the day:
What will happen after we leave the room?
The answer will not be found in the number of people trained alone, but in the policies reviewed, practices changed, alliances strengthened, harmful norms challenged, and accountability mechanisms put to work.
Women can lead. Women are leading. Our collective responsibility is to create the conditions for many more women to lead, participate and influence the decisions that shape our society.
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