Africa-Press – Angola. The President of the National Assembly, Carolina Cerqueira, this Monday in Luanda encouraged female MPs to defend the values and principles of the democratic rule of law, constitutional order, a fair society and legitimate and democratically elected bodies .
Carolina Cerqueira, who was speaking at the seminar on African Women’s Day under the motto “sharing the wisdom and strength of women to build peace and accelerate the implementation of the African continental free trade zone”, considered that the preservation of peace, tranquility and healthy coexistence of all Angolans will contribute to the progress and harmonious development of Angola.
To this end, the official adds that, in order to face the challenges of sustainable development, efforts must also be focused on strengthening women’s capacities and recognizing their skills in the political, economic, social and cultural areas.
From Carolina Cerqueira’s point of view, creating an equal space of opportunity for women is important for raising their social status, reaffirming their dignity and empowerment to face the fight against poverty, illiteracy, violence, violation of women’s rights and their marginalization and exclusion, among other dramas that essentially have the face of women in communities.
According to the AN leader, the African Union (AU), allied with UN Women, is promoting initiatives for the inclusion of women in peace processes, encouraging Angola to create a national network of women committed to peace processes, bringing together in a heterogeneous group several generations, political sensitivities and social actors, committed to equality, education for peace and development, not only in a national context, but also in a regional one.
Carolina Cerqueira expressed satisfaction with the fact that the Angolan parliament is involved in the pacification process in the Great Lakes Region through MPs engaged in favor of peace, stability and regional security.
He added that it is due tirelessly to the education and professional training of women and young girls, access to primary health care, new technologies, land, credit and essential basic social services.
Schedule 2063
Regarding the aspirations of agenda 2063, he added that they aim to create a continental market with the free movement of people, capital, goods and services crucial for the deepening of economic integration and the promotion of regional development.
“Agenda 2063 emphasizes the need for gender equality, parity and empowerment, so that rural women have access to productive assets, such as land, credit, fertilizers, inputs and financial services. Only in this way will women be able to integrate themselves with greater incidence in agribusiness and in the value chain, as well as participate in businesses of a high micro and macroeconomic level”, reinforced the responsible.
For Carolina Cerqueira, the Continental Free Trade Area can offer new opportunities for the creation of a single continental market for goods and services characterized by the free movement of businessmen and investments, factors that could facilitate the acceleration of the intra-African market through a better harmonization and coordination of trade policies.
“The African free trade area should be implemented during the next decade and change the projections for food imports, which will amount to more than 110 billion dollars annually from 2025, according to data from the world bank and the bank. development world. Africa could be the breadbasket of the world in the future and African women have a very important role in this challenge, as they are potentially producers and beneficiaries of their efforts in combating poverty and guaranteeing food security”, she asserted.
Carolina Cerqueira also said that the creation of the continental free trade zone will make it possible to have a broad market with very ambitious prospects for economic growth, fundamental for improving the living conditions of populations in which women will be the main beneficiaries, as they are the guardians of families.
“Our reflection on this topic leads us to conclude that States must invest heavily in strategic infrastructures for communications between economies, in the reduction or progressive elimination of tariff and non-tariff barriers to trade and public and private investment. On the other hand, there is also a need to establish clear and harmonized rules to govern trade in goods and services, competition policy, investment plans and intellectual property, matters for which young women must be prepared and interested in increase skills and be able to compete on an equal footing”, he asserted.
According to Carolina Cerqueira, the structural transformation of the economic fabric of each member state is of great importance for strengthening economic competitiveness at the level of the region and the world market.
“In this way, the continent can constitute a true single market for goods and services, facilitated by the movement of people and goods, in order to deepen the economic integration of the African continent in accordance with the pan-African vision of Agenda 2063 for a peaceful Africa , prosperous and integrated,” he said.
For the president of the AN, the global political tension and the permanent food crisis, especially for African countries, obliges reflection on the weaknesses and the huge need to strengthen strategies, policies and programs for food security.
He added that the fight against hunger and poverty is increasing due to the proliferation of armed conflicts in all regions of the continent and climate changes that are factors of instability in the continent that put sustainability and peace in crisis.
“These are the necessary premises for the establishment of the bases that will serve as support for the creation of a continental union that will allow the promotion and achievement of sustainable, inclusive and gender-equal socio-economic development”, he said.
Carolina Cerqueira expressed pride in the fact that in the African region there are currently 12 female presidents of national parliaments, representing the commitment of women to strengthening democratic institutions, peace and political stability.
He appealed to the continent’s contact networks and women’s associations and similar civil society organizations to maintain, with determination, the struggle for the dignity, appreciation and defense of the rights of African women and for their recognition as guardians of peace, of family appreciation, reconciliation and good morals.
“For all African women, who are increasingly called upon to intervene for the inclusive and sustainable development of their societies, I encourage them to continue to work selflessly in order to leave a fruitful and remarkable legacy for our future generations”, he stressed. .
In the current legislature, women represent more than 38% of deputies to the national assembly (220), assuming positions such as president and vice-presidents, president of the board of directors and presidents of commissions.
At the level of the Executive branch, more than 39% of management positions are held by women at all levels, with 5 women provincial governors.
Women are also represented by around 40% in diplomacy, 38% in the judiciary, 34.4% in public prosecutors, 31% in law and 11% in the national police. It is also proportional to the representation of Angolan women at the level of civil society organizations and religious leaders
Its institution dates back to that day in 1962 at the African Women’s Conference in Dar-Es-Salaam, Tanzania. The date is dedicated for its preponderant role in the preservation and transmission of civic and moral values, as well as in strengthening the cohesion and unity of families, as the fundamental nucleus of society.
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