Africa-Press – Lesotho. When women are economically empowered, they re-invest in their families and communities, producing a multiplier effect that spurs economic growth and contributes to global peace and stability.
\ Ivanka Trump – Advisor to the US president, Donald Trump. In February 2019, President Trump, established the Women’s Global Development and
Prosperity (W-GDP) Initiative, the first whole-of-government effort to advance global women’s economic empowerment. Lesotho was among the 18 countries, represented by Hon.
Tšepang Tšita-Mosena, chosen to participate with a particular focus on Pillar 3 which addresses the legal and regulatory barriers, employer practices, and social and cultural
norms that preclude women’s economic empowerment in developing countries. Examining legal barriers specifically, W-GDP is focusing its efforts on five
foundational factors that include women’s ability to access institutions, build credit, manage property, travel freely, and work in the same sectors and jobs
as men. The cohort was whisked to the U. S. on a three week program from the 7th-28th September as the inaugural participants to the program, to familiarize
themselves with the objectives of W-GDP, learn about the United States, understand its different dynamics, learn from some of the most successful individuals, enterprises and NGOs about the best practices which can be considered
as a baseline for the project. In this induction, Hon. Mosena and 17 other global women leaders, together with one man, toured four states where they met various organizations and leaders who
exchanged valuable information beneficial to the W-GDP initiative, and ultimately challenged them on the program’s objectives. Hon. Mosena says she comes back home to Lesotho heavily empowered and armed with a
wealth of knowledge to help advance the course of having women participate in the global economic landscape. “I am ready, and particularly grateful to the U.
S. Embassy for having recognized my existence, contribution and potential input that I can make to help Basotho women participate in, and grow the economy of Lesotho, the SADC region, the
Africa continent, and ultimately be global players. Hon. Tšita-Mosena was nominated to take part in her own capacity as a distinguished Mosotho woman who is passionate about women’s participation in the economic
growth of her country. She was highly considered due to being recognized in the leadership space that cuts from the private sector, having been in the entrepreneurship space for over 15 years, as
well as being an Honorable Member of Parliament, a Deputy Chair of SADC Parliamentary Forum Trade, Industry, Finance and Investment standing committee,
as well as a “woman” Deputy Leader of her political party – Movement for Economic Change, a phenomenon that is not common for women in Lesotho. There are three pillars to the program, the first one on helping women prosper in the
workforce, the second one helping women succeed as entrepreneurs, and the third one helping to remove barriers to women’s’ economic participation. W-GDP seeks to reach 50 million women in the developing world by 2025 through U. S. government activities, private-public partnerships, and a new, innovative fund.
