Green economy and women’s empowerment

Dominique Ouattara, First Lady of Côte d'Ivoire, has now taken the lead for the empowerment of women in the green economy. On Wednesday, November 29, 2017, the wife of the Head of State invited to Ivoire Golf Club the First Ladies and spouses of Head of Government present in Abidjan for the 5^th AU-EU summit, to share her new vision and discuss on the role of women in the green economy.

This debate was organized on the sidelines of the summit to reflect on the sustainable development in Africa and highlight the need for African countries to move resolutely towards a green economy. This was also the opportunity for Mrs. Dominique Ouattara to congratulate Arnold Schwarzenegger, former governor of California and founder of R20 Green fund Foundation. To conclude, she expressed the hope that the fund will be available to support women's projects.

In addition, Mrs. Dominique Ouattara explained to her fellow first ladies the need for African countries to make the transition to a green economy. "This important meeting gives us the opportunity to create a common framework to reflect on " women’s role in the green economy "in our respective countries. Indeed, if we want to  integrate green economy into our different communities, we must absolutely take into account the specific roles of each in the management of our natural resources. Today, whether in Europe or Africa, women are involved in all key sectors of the economy. Their undeniable role in the economy necessarily places them at the heart of policies and strategies to be implemented for inclusive sustainable development. We must therefore pay particular attention to women’s potential in the implementation of this economic model, "she explained.