CBK in Sierra Leone

by Karim Kabia

(December, 13, Sierra Leone, Sri Lanka Guardian) The Former President of Sri Lanka (1994 -2005), Ms. Chandrika Kumaratunga is on a five-day working visit to Sierra Leone from Monday the 10th to Saturday the 15th December 2007. She arrived in the country heading a 3-man delegation from the African Women Leaders’ Project The overall objective of the visit is to strengthen female political leaders by enhancing their confidence to a great extent in politics and decision making capacities.

As part of the team’s agenda, the delegation held a meeting on Tuesday 11th December at the British Council Hall, Tower Hill in Freetown with Civil Society Groups/Organizations and other stakeholders in the country with a view to creating awareness on the importance of their role in promoting the issue of women’s participation in politics at all levels.

In her statement, the Sri Lankan stateswoman expressed her delight to be in Sierra Leone at this material point in time to give her input in what she described as the transition from one democratically elected government y to another. She informed her audience that they are in the country to ensure that the general public is adequately sensitized on the issue of gender equality and its importance in the development of the country’s democratic process, adding that women should be economically empowered to be included in decision making bodies, citing her country as an example of a nation to be the first to have had a Women President and Prime Minister in the world.

On her part, the Coordinator of the African Women Leaders Project and member of the delegation to the country, Mrs. Rosemary Kaduru reiterated the need for women to be empowered. She therefore called on Civil Society Organizations which she believes have a critical role to play to help in consolidating the gains of women in the country.

The delegation which was led by the Former President of Sri Lanka includes a member of the House of Senate in Liberia, Mrs. Gloria Musu Scott alongside a legal luminary with a wealth of experience working with NGOs, Mrs. Rose Mary Kaduru.

The project is jointly implemented by Campaign for Good Governance (CGG) and Club of Madrid in Spain with funding from the European Union and Canadian International Development Agency respectively.