Martin Endjala
President Hage Geingob has urged women to continue being persistent in attaining their dreams, particularly in industries dominated by men and to not allow discrimination and other challenges to deter them.
The President said this yesterday in commemoration of International Women’s Day, celebrated on the 8th of March. This year’s theme is, ‘Digital Innovation and Technology for Gender Equality.’
Geingob maintained that the theme is timely in advocating for an end to persisting discrimination against women and girls pursuing Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics-related fields (STEM), highlighting that women have over the years demonstrated that they are capable of many accomplishments in different fields of human endeavour.
“No field of study should be off-limits for women and girls. Harmful practices against women, including the scourge of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) undermine the dignity of women and stunt their advancement in society.”
Geingob stresses that gender- equality is not only a catalyst for women to pursue their dreams, but it is also vital for peaceful communities and socio-economic development.
Geingob emphasised that the government, in its pursuit of the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR), the education, science, technology and innovation clusters are led by women, which he says is a significant step in national efforts to promote gender inclusion in the fields of Science, Technology and Mathematics.He notes that notwithstanding strides made as a nation, women occupy important decision-making and management positions in the public and private sectors.
The President thus emphasises that International Women’s Day is a sharp reminder of the need to redouble efforts towards the goal of gender equality.
