Nigeria’s foremost ‘He for She’ advocate and media leader, Tomide Olukuade has said that the plethora of issues Africa is faced with can only be resolved when the African society takes full advantage of her human resources.
Olukuade who spoke during a chat in the lead up to the fifth edition of SPILL, the fast evolving pan African women speaking platform he initiated in 2017, pointed out that “events on the continent have shown that it is not the oil wells, the diamond mines or our titanium rich soil that hold the answers to the numerous challenges we have, particularly the problem of enduring poverty”.
He opined that the problem of Africa can only be fixed by her people, when the full complement of her human resources are engaged, not leaving the women behind.
According to him, a society that refuses to acknowledge or make room for the contribution of her women will run around in circles and record little or no development.
Inclusivity, he said, should not be reduced to a fancy or politically correct word being bandied around without any substantial action.
Citing Rwanda as an example of an African nation that has embraced the tenets of inclusion, diversity and equity, IDE, and is reaping the benefits, he says this must be replicated continent wide.
Olukuade whose book, ‘The Best Men Are Woman Wrappers’, is a light-hearted reflection on the power arrangement between men and women, advises that Africa should cast a glance backward in order to authentically advance into the future.
According to him, in pre-colonial Africa, women had a pride of place, occupied significant offices in the society, engaged in high level economic activities and were largely depended upon by the male folks to carry out special assignments.
Africa must find this path again as she throws off the vestiges of shackled living off her shoulders, Olukuade suggested.
With SPILL on its way to becoming a dominant feature on the African landscape, the media leader believes that a new generation of African women in tune with their being and ready to bring about tangible change on the continent will emerge.
“And that is why the SPILL platform is here to mainstream the voices and the leadership of African women on the continent and across the globe”, he said.
A date for the Lagos SPILL will be announced shortly.
