By Ismail Abdulaziz
The Egyptian Agency for Partnership for Development (EAPD) has commenced the training of 100 African women from 35 African countries on leadership initiatives on the continent.

Ambassador Mohamed Khalil, Secretary General for EAPD, said that the programme was part of Egypt’s support to Africa in accessing its possibilities in serving the South-South Cooperation.
In a statement by Ambassador Hesham El-Mekwad, the secretary general said that programme was being organised in collaboration with the Governance and Sustainable Development and the Jimenai Africa Foundation.
“The Egyptian agency aims to employ the distinct Egyptian possibilities in serving South-South cooperation, especially in the African continent, in support of the continent’s development renaissance,” he said.
Khalil said that the training, which was the second edition of the African Women Leadership Training Programme, would support the areas of empowerment of women and gender equality.
He said this has started with the launch of a number of strategies to ensure the achievement of these goals, primarily the National Women’s Empowerment Strategy 2030 adopted by President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi.
Khalil also said that they included the national strategy against violence against women, female circumcision, early marriage as well as the national reproductive health strategy.
Khalil added that the EAPD, as the development arm of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is committed to prioritising African women in capacity-building programmes and training sessions organized by local or international partners.
“Egypt will continue to offer scholarships at its universities and research centres, as well as in relation to the aid given to different African countries, believing in the important role African women play in preserving the gains of the present and shaping the continent’s future.”