The Time Is NOW!

President Sirleaf's clarion call must claim every woman's attention

Women leaders have been told that is it up to them to become the advocates, the promoters, the facilitators, to ensure that Goals 2 and 4 of the High-Level Panel on the Post-2015 Development Agenda are fully adopted and implemented.

Chairing the opening ceremony of the 2nd High-Level Meeting of the GlobalPOWER Women Network Africa (GPWNA), in Abuja, last week, President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf declared: “The time is now! If not now, when? If not us, who?”

This is very true. But before going into that, let us see what these goals are:

Empower Girls and Women and Achieve Gender Equality serves as the second goal (Goal 2) of the Panel’s Report. It focuses on preventing all forms of violence against girls and women; ending child marriage and ensuring the equal right of women to own and inherit property. This goal also seeks to furnish the female gender with the power to sign contracts, register a business and open a bank account; and eliminate discrimination against women in political, economic and public life.

At the same time, Goal 4, “Ensure Healthy Lives,” would end preventable infant and under-5 deaths; increase the proportion of children, adolescents, at-risk adults and older people that need to be fully vaccinated; continue to decrease the maternal mortality ratio; ensure universal sexual and reproductive health and rights; and reduce the burden of disease from HIV/AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria, neglected tropical diseases and priority non-communicable diseases.

We must commend President Sirleaf for this clarion call to the women’s world. Just in case you (women leaders) were still fast asleep while this fight for women’s emancipation continued to heat-up, better get out of the way now. In this fight for gender parity, if you can’t lead, we will throw you out of the way and the corridor cleared for those who are willing and ready to lead the charge.