Oluwaseyi Kehinde-Peters is the founder of the Pan African Women Empowerment Network. She tells TOFARATI IGE about her advocacy for women empowerment and other issuesIn the course of my career and entrepreneurial journey, I have seen how some women work and live below their potential largely due to lack of education and exposure to the right information and networks.
The first is legal constraints. There is a need to develop our labour laws in a way that actively promote the inclusion of women in the workforce and in strategic positions. We need to ensure that the empowerment of women becomes the ethos of public and private rganisations.
There is also lack of access to finance. This is one of the major factors impeding the growth of women-owned businesses in Africa. The key barriers include lack of ownership of collateral― as tradition would seldom cede property rights to women; coupled with the absence of credit histories. It is disheartening to hear of this trend among NGOs and I think it is reflective of the decadence in our ethical and moral values at large.
I’ve heard that in the past but I think that narrative is changing. Women are more aware and are supporting each other now, more than ever. They should also keep proper records of accounting transactions for the business distinct and separate from the personal accounts of the owner.