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Egypt launches Africa, MENA's first accelerator to bridge gender gap Accelerator to provide economic opportunities for women to recover from COVID-19 pandemic, says Maya Morsi
Egypt's Ministry of International Cooperation, the National Council for Women (NCW), and the World Economic Forum, have launched a public-private sector collaboration project to bridge the gender gap. The project, called "Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator", is set to enable governments and businesses to take decisive action on closing gender-based economic gaps. The model supports public and private leaders in shaping innovative pathways to promote gender equality, diversity, inclusion, and economic mobility, which is central to Egypt's reform agenda. Egypt is set to be the first country in Africa and the Middle East to launch this unique collaboration, with the support of the World Economic Forum. The accelerator focuses on four key objectives, namely: preparing women for the post coronavirus (COVID-19) world of work; closing gender gaps in remuneration between and within sectors; enabling women's participation in the labour force; and advancing more women into management and leadership roles. Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat said the launch of Egypt's Gender Gap Accelerator highlights the government's continuous commitment to empower Egyptian women. This would take place by applying the required policies and structural reforms to push the gender agenda, as women's participation in the economy is critical on the macro-level. The Gender Accelerator will bring together multiple stakeholders across the public and private sectors to generate local in-sight, and develop needs-based action plans and drive their execution. Minister Al-Mashat added, "Leveraging on the World Economic Forum's global platform, the accelerator will indeed help expedite the implementation of SDG 5 [Sustainable Development Goal] across sectors in Egypt, and serve as a multi-stakeholder platform." Moreover, NCW President Maya Morsi said, "Closing the gender gap accelerator will be the hub for all the initiatives that fall under the Women's Economic Empowerment Pillar of the Egyptian National Strategy for the Empowerment of Women 2030." Morsi added, "It will also provide economic opportunities for women to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic. Adapting this tool to the Egyptian context is another guide that is used to enhance our own strategized and coordinated efforts for an effective and efficient outcome."
