Rahab Mukami Wachira: “Women Are the Pillars of Africa’s Economic Future”

When Hon. Rahab Mukami Wachira of Kenya took the floor during the 2025 Pan-African Parliament (PAP) Women’s Day Commemoration, her words carried both conviction and urgency. Speaking to fellow legislators, diplomats, and women leaders from across the continent, she painted a vivid picture of African women as “innovators, decision-makers, and system shapers” the very pillars on which Africa’s economic future rests.

“An African woman,” she began, “can multitask with precision, run a household, manage a business, lead a community project, and still find time to innovate.” If we unlock her potential fully, Africa will transform itself.”

The Negotiation Table: Where Change Begins

Drawing from Kenya’s experience and broader continental realities, Hon. Mukami stressed that economic empowerment must start with representation where decisions are made.

“We cannot shape economic policies without women at the table,” she said. “Our absence in those rooms means our perspectives, our priorities, and our solutions are missing from the policies that affect us.”

Her appeal resonated with a growing movement across Africa to mainstream women’s participation in economic governance, from trade negotiations under the AfCFTA to national budget processes.

Removing the Barriers

Hon. Mukami who is a member of Kenya’s delegation to the Pan-African Parliament, did not shy away from confronting the structural barriers holding women back. She named education, access to financing, and land ownership as the three pillars of true empowerment.

“Without a title deed,” she explained, “a woman cannot get a bank loan. Without capital, she cannot grow her business. Without education, she cannot compete on equal footing. We must dismantle these barriers now.”

She called on the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) to extend its funding and business incubation programmes to Kenya with an important addition:

“Make them inclusive. Bring in women, youth, and persons with disabilities. Let no one be left behind.”

Redefining Sisterhood

Perhaps one of her most striking points was a direct challenge to a stereotype that has dogged women’s movements for decades: the notion that women are each other’s fiercest rivals.

“We must kill the perception that we are our own worst enemies,” she urged. “We must lift each other, mentor each other, and celebrate each other’s success.”

Her words echo an emerging pan-African ethos of solidarity among women leaders, reflected in regional networks such as the African Women Leaders Network and AU’s Women, Gender and Development Directorate initiatives.

Innovation as a Continental Engine

Hon. Mukami concluded her remarks with a rallying call for Africa to “energise itself” through innovation and enterprise-building. She envisioned a continent where inclusive economic strategies fuel job creation, entrepreneurship, and sustainable growth.

“An Africa that invests in women,” she said, “is an Africa that invests in its own survival and prosperity.”

SIDEBAR: Kenya’s Women-Led Economic Initiatives

Kenya has been at the forefront of women’s economic empowerment through targeted programmes and policies:

Women Enterprise Fund (WEF): A government initiative providing accessible and affordable credit to women entrepreneurs, coupled with capacity-building training.

Uwezo Fund: Offers interest-free loans and mentorship to women and youth groups for business start-ups and expansions.

Title Deed Reforms: Recent policy drives have sought to improve joint spousal land registration, enhancing women’s land rights and ability to secure credit.

Kenya Women Microfinance Bank: One of Africa’s largest women-focused financial institutions, providing tailored banking solutions to women-led businesses.

SIDEBAR: NEPAD’s Empowerment Programmes for Women

The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) has several ongoing initiatives aligned with Hon. Mukami’s call:

African Women in Business Initiative (AWIB): Promotes women’s participation in trade, value chains, and entrepreneurial ventures.

Skills and Employment for Youth and Women Programme: Focuses on vocational training, digital literacy, and enterprise incubation for women and young people.

Agriculture and Food Security Projects: Supports women farmers with inputs, training, and market access strategies.

Gender Mainstreaming in Infrastructure Development: Ensures women are not excluded from infrastructure projects and related economic opportunities.

Linking the Vision to the AU’s 2025 Theme

Hon. Mukami’s proposals resonate deeply with the African Union’s 2025 theme, “Justice for Africans and Persons of African Descent through Reparations” which goes beyond addressing historical injustices to envision structural change in the present.

By demanding equitable access to land, financing, and education, and calling for the inclusion of women, youth, and persons with disabilities in economic programs, her intervention aligns with the AU’s vision of reparative justice as an enabler of sustainable development.

In this framework, economic empowerment becomes a form of restorative justice, one that recognises the centuries-long exclusion of women from the centers of power and seeks to redress it through inclusive policy and structural reform. Her message is clear: reparations are not only about the past; they are about transforming Africa’s future by dismantling the systemic barriers that still hold half its population back.