What is the role of women in the resolution of the conflicts in Africa?
A [Jessica Grounds]: This is a very powerful question. As I stated much earlier, having women in political leadership positions has shown to help improve a nation’s economy and build stability. This is also true when it comes to issues of war and building peace in a country. There is substantial evidence that when women gain leadership positions in elected office that sustainable peace is more easily attained and is longer lasting. There have been a number of exciting advances in Africa in the last decade or so. In Sierra Leone, a group called the 50/50 women are working to empower women to run for office there. This used to be one of the most war-torn regions in Africa and now these women have made major advances bringing women to leadership positions in the country. And Rwanda now has the highest number of women in elected office in the entire world! Bringing women to these positions of power have helped build stability because these women leaders are more likely to focus on issues t
