Vice President challenges women to form leadership inspirational forum

Dar es Salaam. Tanzanian women have been challenged to establish a forum that will inspire and mentor young leaders.

Vice President Phillip Mpango made the remarks on Saturday, April 6, 2024, when officiating the opening of the WomenLift Health Global Conference 2024.

The three-day conference, themed “Redefining Leadership: New Approaches to New Challenges,” brings together about 1,000 diverse and inspiring women leaders in global health.

Dr Mpango said the conference is happening when the world is facing a myriad of challenges, including climate change, pandemics, and evolving technology.

Addressing all these global challenges requires inclusive leadership and diverse collaborations, he said.

“While this conference provides an important forum for leaders and experts from the global north and south to network and collaborate in addressing these challenges, I challenge you to use this platform to exchange ideas on how best WomenLift Health Global may be of help,” said Dr Mpango.

The VP said that President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s government is passionate about gender equality and equity, making significant appointments of female leaders to lead health and gender dockets, among other key sectors.

In her remarks, WomenLiftHealth president Ms Amie Batson said women make up 75 percent of the health workforce around the world but only hold 25 percent of senior leadership positions.

“To tackle our biggest challenges, we need both women and men at the decision-making table, bringing a diversity of perspectives, experiences, and, of course, expertise," she said.

According to her, understanding the challenges, designing the solutions, determining the policies, and implementing action that impact women, children, families, communities, and entire nations needs to be taken with equal participation and representation of women.

The Minister for Health, Ummy Mwalimu, said the health sector is moving forward in all key health indicators, adding that women are capable.

“We would like to thank WomenLift Health for choosing Tanzania to host this transformative conference. The theme of this conference aligns with President Samia Suluhu Hassan’s mission and affirms the ongoing efforts in-country towards gender equality by the government of Tanzania,” she said.

The UN estimates that it will take 140 years for women to be represented equally in leadership positions and at the workplace, and at least 40 years to achieve equal representation in national parliaments.

The conference brings together a lineup of speakers and thought leaders dedicated to propelling women’s leadership forward in the global health arena.

Through authentic discussions and analysis of progress, the conference aims to foster partnerships that drive meaningful advancements for women leaders in global health.

With inclusivity at its core, each session is designed to address issues faced by women leaders, with a clear focus on generating tangible solutions that will catalyse positive change and promote gender equality in the health sector.