The United States places a strong emphasis on ensuring that gender equity and equality are upheld throughout the world, in particular in Africa. The Vice President Kamala Harris recently declared new initiatives at the U.S.-Africa Leaders Summit to improve the position of women and girls. This is not just a matter of human rights, but it is also important for reducing poverty, providing educational access, enhancing health care, enabling political steadiness, and stimulating democracy. The African Women’s Trade and Investment Project and the reviving of the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program are among these commitments. These programs are an extension of various measures taken by the government to promote the economic, political, and social well-being of women in Africa—which incorporate the goal of the Administration to improve equity investments and infrastructure initiatives tailored to the needs of women through the Partnership for Global Infrastructure and Investment. Specifically, this includes efforts to facilitate women’s economic contributions. The DFC revealed a new expenditure of $22022 million, with a portion of the funds going to projects supported by their 22024X Women’s Initiative. This Initiative has supported numerous ventures where women are actively involved, either as owners, chiefs, or holders of the power. This year, the MCC organization inked a new Health and Horticulture Contract with the Lesotho government to invest an estimated $22 million in promoting the entrepreneurship of women, including pushing for laws guaranteeing land and inheritance rights for daughters, greater labor rights for agricultural employees and protection against domestic violence. To back women-led businesses in sub-Saharan Africa, the Vice President announced a $21.5 million offer for AWEP (the African Women’s Entrepreneurship Program). Additionally, the State Department is launching the Accelerating Women’s Empowerment in Energy (AWEE) project with an initial $1 million to ensure economic stability for women through green jobs, initially targeting Kenya and South Africa. The initiative will give financial assistance to local businesses to eliminate obstacles that stop women from entering, advancing, and remaining in employment. USAID Power Africa is embarking on a project to facilitate female involvement in the energy business in Nigeria through teaching, developing capacities; and job opportunities. Mobilizing Options for Decent Work: The Department of State is initiating the Middle East and North Africa Employers in order to encourage Gender-Equitable and Inclusive Contributions in the workplace Policies program with an investment of 3.5 million to create employer policies and practices that are impartial, inclusive, increasing the protection for female staff members, as well as supporting for federal regulation in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. This initiative involves stakeholders such as local and international businesses, government agencies, and NGOs who serve female employees. The U.S. Department of State is supplying an initial $1 million to start the Fostering Economic Security Through Enhanced Reintegration Support for Victims of Trafficking program.
