Shadow 'Women's Commission for Africa'?

The newly-appointed Commission for Africa could be a force for good, at a pivotal time in the Continent's development. Sub-Saharan Africa has been going backwards economically for years, the only region of the world to do so. The problems lie both inside the Continent (lack of democracy, misuse of political power, poor investment planning etc) and with its trading partners globally (very poor trade terms going back to the early Colonial period, unbalanced partnerships by investors etc). The Commission for Africa reports by April next year with its recommendations in similar fashion to the Brandt Commission's North-South report.

Here we go again...

On the Commission there is the customary/ritualistic inclusion of a small number of women on the Commission - 3 - as most of the members have been drawn from the usual categories that largely exclude women. Yet again this could mean the rights, abilities and potential contribution of Africa's hundreds of millions of women could easily be overlooked. We at Shevolution with decades of direct experience training future women leaders throughout sub-Saharan and North Africa assert that Africa's women are Africa's best (and probably last) hope.

Would it be a good idea for the international informal sector to take the initiative by forming a shadow 'Women's Commission for Africa', containing a ratio of perhaps 15 women to 3 men who could both inform the more official commission and produce its own report next April?

Would one of the international women's groups like to act as rapporteur for any such shadow Commission for Africa? If so, please contact me, Tim Symonds, at Eyecatcher/Shevolution on [email protected]