Oxygen Communications and Duke CE launches “Women Leading Africa” programme
Duke CE trained ten women for their “Women Leading Africa ‘Board Leadership- Voices of the Future’” programme in Windhoek last week. The women who attended the training together with the facilitators from Duke CE and Oxygen Communications (Photograph by Mandisa Rasmeni)
The programme had its closing ceremony on 11 April 2014. The programme addressed the critical need to increase and strengthen leadership capacity in Pan-Africa and to ultimately increase board representation by at least 30% for women in decision-making positions in the private and public sector of companies and organisations in Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, according to Hilda Basson-Namunjebo, Managing Director of Oxygen Communications.
Ten women took part in the leadership programme. Ms Damoline Muruko of Executive Corporate Governance at NAMCOR said that the training exposed her to leading facilitators on corporate governance and the effectiveness of a board. She also wished that the programme could be introduced to other regions in Namibia, adding that it should not only aim at enlightening women who are board members, but also the ones who aim at being members of boards in the future. She also emphasised that the programme should be introduced at universities and training colleges across Namibia.
Mr Frieda Aluteni, a director at Namibia Airport Company, said that the training had been very insightful and helped her understand what her role and responsibilities are as a board member. While Mrs Libertha Kapere, Deputy Chairperson at NamibRe and Company Secretary at Namdeb, said that the training had opened her eyes to the fact that she is a leader and that she is looking forward to implement what she learned.
“If we are willing to be ourselves and allow our differences to be an advantage, to give ourselves permission to have drive and ambition, we can make our voices and perspectives count. I believe we as women have the potential and power to change the world and the continent in ways that matter and perhaps have the kind of impact that none of us have dared imagine,” said Sharmla Chetty, Duke CE Regional Managing Director.
The programme, co-sponsored by Oxygen Communications, is a response to the National Gender Equality Initiative (2010 to 2020) in Namibia. In conjunction with the programme, Oxygen Communications launched its 50% Club. It was attended by leaders drawn from diverse fields of the industry touching on entrepreneurship, politics, business and academic fields.
