WB chief impressed by women empowerment

The President of World Bank, Bob Zoellick, has praised Rwanda’s efforts to economically empower women. He made the remarks this week during the Akilah Fundraising event held in Washington DC-USA. Akilah Institute for Women is a college for young women in Rwanda, which aims at transforming their lives by equipping them with skills, knowledge and confidence to become better leaders and entrepreneurs. “The government of Rwanda has put much effort in promoting and empowering women as a way of reaching the country’s vision,” Zoellick is quoted in a statement as saying. He stated that for countries emerging from conflict such as Rwanda, investing in women can pay even greater dividends, not only for economic development, but for rebuilding the society, and consolidating peace and stability as well. “In Rwanda, women’s participation is critical part of the government’s plan for post conflict reconstruction,” World Bank President noted. “Investing in women’s education and skills is about investing in the potential of people to improve their lives, transform their future, and commit their communities never again slip back into violence and conflict”. He observed that women are participating at every level of development activities such as delivering basic services, which include security, business management among others. During the event Zoellick also commended Rwanda for being the second best performing country in the world in terms of transforming its business regulations, according to the recently published World Bank doing business report rankings. At the same event, Elizabeth Dearborn Davis, the Chief Executive Officer of Akilah Institute for Women, made an overview of the Akilah and Rwandan government partnership. She stated that the government of Rwanda has donated 90 acres of land to house the Akilah campus in Bugesera District in the Eastern Province. During the function, Akilah students, Noella Abijuru and Allen Kazarwa, who are among the pioneer graduates, talked about their experiences at the institution observing that the education they received would facilitate them to start a career in the hospitality industry. Ends

National

WB chief impressed by women empowerment