G20: women’s empowerment now

ACCORDING to the World Economic Global Gender Gap report for 2025, it will take 107 years for sub-Saharan Africa to achieve gender parity.

- NAADIYA MOOSAJEE

I do not have the time nor the patience to wait that long.

Gender inequality is holding South Africa back, both financially and socially. If women participate in the economy we will see more investments in families and communities in ways that catalyse broader social benefits, such as better health, education, and a reduction in child mortality. When the gender gaps persist, we see none of those gains and, in a country with high unemployment, we cannot ignore our underutilised assets to create benefits for us all.

The World Economic Forum report was published as women across Africa are being called on to participate in G20 preparatory task forces and working groups. I am one of those. In these gatherings, I see a powerful opportunity at the intersection of gender, engineering, and entrepreneurship. It is one that G20 nations cannot afford to ignore.

My two-decades-long journey as an engineer, founder, and ecosystem builder for women in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mining and Manufacturing) has been defined by one conviction: the future must be co-engineered by women. As we mark National Women’s Month in South Africa, it is clear that we must take real action to dismantle the invisible barriers that prevent women and girls from participating fully in shaping our engineered world.