Egypt launches Closing Gender Gap Accelerator, the first in Africa and MENA region

Egypt launches Closing Gender Gap Accelerator, the first in Africa and MENA region

Egypt's Ministry of International Cooperation, the National Council for Women (NCW), and the World Economic Forum (WEF) have launched the 'Closing the Gender Gap Accelerator,' a national public-private collaboration model which enables governments and businesses to take decisive action to close economic gender gaps.

The model supports public and private leaders "in shaping innovative pathways to promote gender equality, diversity, inclusion and economic mobility through a three-year action plan, which is central to Egypt's reform agenda," the Ministry of International Cooperation said.

Through launching such a model, Egypt is the first country in the Middle East and Africa (MENA) to launch this unique public-private collaboration model supported by the WEF platform.

The Accelerator focuses on four key objectives; preparing women for the post COVID-19 world of work, including closing gender gaps in remuneration between and within sectors, enabling women's participation in the labour force, and advancing more women into management and leadership roles, according to the statement.

Minister of International Cooperation Rania Al-Mashat said that the launch of Egypt's Gender Gap Accelerator highlights the government's continued commitment to applying needed policies and structural reforms to push the gender agenda and empower Egyptian women, as women's participation in the economy is