The Public Service, Gender and Affirmative Action Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa has said that the government will allocate 50 per cent of the Sh50billion Hustler Fund to support women’s initiative.
During the launch of a 2-day annual summit of the Women’s Economic Forum Kenya by the Canadian commissioner to Kenya Christopher Thornely, the CS noted that the move was aimed at promoting women enterprise development insisting that women’s economic empowerment is a key driver of sustainable development in every sector.
“The Women Economic Forum Kenya is structured as a multi-stakeholder, cross-sectoral discussion, involving captains of industry, high ranking government officials, private sector, non-state actors, development partners, thought leaders, women’s rights organisations, media and academia,” Jumwa said.
The CS anticipated that the discussions during the convening will offer tangible solutions on inclusive growth especially on the role of women in the country’s economic recovery.
The outcome is set to shape policies, programmes, interventions and advocacy efforts that will drive Kenyan women forward in all spheres of the economy.
She noted that the forum plays a crucial role towards an inclusive economic engine that will produce substantive gains for women and the national economy.
Additionally, Thornely underscored the importance of working smartly to ensure women are thriving across the nation as he pledged his government’s support towards the vital initiative.
“There is a powerful force here and am excited to see what the outcome will be like in the coming days,” Thornely observed.
The Women Economic Forum Kenya executive Director Daisy Amdany noted that the forum is an opportunity to explore partnerships between stakeholders serving as a critical opportunity to bring together key decision makers from across to connect and learn from each other as they share experiences in navigating the country’s complex economic landscape.
“The forum gives an opportunity to explore the potential for new and improved partnerships between the civil society, the private sector and women from marginalised groups and those who hold the power to make decisions,” Amdany said.
Speakers at the event expressed their views as insisted on the prevailing facts in which lack of ownership, control and access to resourceful land has exacerbated gender inequality calling on the implementation of the role to ‘Getting Women Involved in Kenya’s Economic Recovery.’
