By Lamin Cham
Nigerian presidential aspirant and former governor of Anambra State Peter Obi, will arrive in The Gambia on Sunday as guest of the Local Elected Women’s Network (Refela), The Gambia.
The body is holding a two-day national conference on the 10th and 11th March at which Mr Obi will feature as guest of honour. Other dignitaries to attend include former Gambian vice president Fatoumatta Tambajang, Deputy Speaker Seedy Njie and Adama Sarr mayor of the Dakar suburb of Kerr Massar in Senegal.
The national Refela conference, under national and continental president Mayor Rohey Lowe of Banjul, will feature discussions at the Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara Conference Centre on accelerating representation, safeguarding and strengthening women’s rights.
On the second day, the conference moves to African Princess Hotel for discussions on capacity building for women.
A preamble of the event said the conference will identify blind spots in maternal health and education, and the exclusion of women’s voices from decisions that shape their communities.
“As we confront attempts to roll back the FGM ban and address the persistent underrepresentation of women, who hold just 8.6% of National Assembly seats – we need a leader who understands that getting women into parliament is only half the battle; the other half is ensuring they can serve with dignity, safety and impact. The Gambia stands at a critical juncture in that despite women constituting over half the population, they hold fewer than ten per cent of seats in the National Assembly — with real consequences: weak enforcement of laws protecting women and girls,” the organisers said.
