The Prime Minister for Rwanda Anastase Murekezi has urged women to enrich their leadership skills and be able to compete for leadership positions in sports and become mentors for young men and women seeking to work in the sporting field.
He said his country has made tremendous improvement in the promotion of gender equality with 64% of Parliamentary seats occupied by women and that the trend is seen in other decision making positions.
“Despite the fact that Rwanda has done a lot in promoting gender equality and sports, we still have gaps in representation of women in sports leadership.
“Currently, the number of women in the Rwanda National Olympic and Sports Committee is at 42.8 per cent but in the National Sports Federations, they are only 16 per cent,” he said.
The PM gave this advice when he officially opened the “Advancing Women Forum in Leadership for Africa – Asia at the Radisson Blu Hotel & Convention Centre in Kigali, Rwanda.
He added that the world has changed and that men and women have to be treated equally in all domains.
“Women and Men are equal in terms of ability and dignity, and they should also be equal in terms of opportunity. Rwandans, as a global community, we need every member of our society to use his or her talents to the fullest”.
“The 2017 statistics that were released by the International Olympic Committee show that on average, women represent only 17 per cent in the National Olympic Committee General Assemblies and 20.7 per cent in Executive Boards,” he added.
PM Murekezi concluded his speech by urging all participants to advise African and Asian Countries on how better to advance women in sports leadership and participation.
