Sirleaf, Okorocha urges women to break male domination in African politics

Former Liberian President, Helen Johnson Sirleaf, and the Senator representing Imo West, Rochas Okorocha, have urged African women to break male domination in Africa and take centre stage in the politics and economy of the continent.

The duo spoke in Abuja when the ex-Liberian leader visited Okorocha at the Unity House.

Sirleaf is the President of the Rochas Foundation College of Africa (ROFOCA).

Addressing a joint press conference shortly after a closed-door meeting, the duo harped on the need of deploying education as a tool to emancipate African women and develop the region.

Okorocha said that Nigerian women are the most marginalized in Africa, stressing that all indicators have shown that women have key roles to play in the development that Nigeria and the African continent crave.

He urged the Liberian former leader to continue to inspire and motivate African women to rise up and contribute their quota in the socio-economic development of the continent.

According to him, “Nigeria has the highest rate of marginalization of women in the whole of Africa, but women have a key role to play in the development of African continent. We must encourage women to be more active in governance. Now having broken the jinx I pray you (Sirleaf) to help Nigerian and African women to do the same”.

On the Rochas Foundation College of Africa, Okorocha, disclosed that 151 students from 22 African nations are currently studying in the school, adding that “the intention is to house Africa in one roof, to bring Africa together and boost our unity and to give succour to indigent children.

“It is a tall dream but the College is doing very well. We graduate about 2000 children every year, and we admit about 3000 every year, we have produced doctors, lawyers and many others contributing to the growth of Africa,” Okorocha said.

Sirleaf noted that “African women are making their marks in leadership, some of them are Ministers, others are junior Ministers, some of them are seeing themselves to the highest level of leadership.

“We want to break through the male domination in any area and at every level. Immediately we do that women will be able to contest positions and we don’t want to see them stopped because of tradition,” Sirleaf said.

“It will not be far and we will come back here to celebrate the first female Governor in Nigeria. The strongest person today is a woman and that is the Chancellor in German”.

She commended Okorocha for his contributions to the development of education in the continent, adding that his free education program for indigent African children is a huge sacrifice that has impacted Africa.

She said, “my memories go back to when I went to the College to see the children who are underprivileged who may never have found the privilege and to see the extent of support giving by Rochas Foundation, that is tremendous contribution to African Education and development.

“My heart goes out, I can’t wait for the graduation of the first set of the children for everyone to see what someone has done because this is the generation that will take over from us. Enjoined the students to study hard to succeed and make their contributions to the development of the continent.”