On Thursday, January 27th, 2022, African Women on Board (AWB) hosted a virtual session on the topic, Going Beyond Advocacy: Actionable Steps towards Safety in the Workplace.

Speakers included;  Diana Asonaba Daapah, Deputy Attorney General & Deputy Minister of Justice, Ghana; Sara Carnegie, Director of Legal Projects, International Bar Association (IBA); Chris Severson, Head of People and Culture, Philip Morris International; Achieng Butler, Founder, and CEO, Digital Beehive, Africa, and Udo Jude Ilo, Country Officer and Head of Nigeria Office, Open Society Initiative for West Africa (OSIWA).

This session was moderated by Esther Ijeaku, Programme Director, African Women on Board.

Join us live on Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, or Linkedin at 4 pm GMT | 5 pm WAT | 7 pm EAT| 11 am EST.

Key Takeaways 

“If sexual exploitation is so prevalent within the tertiary institutions – the highest level of education, it is worrisome to think of how ingrained it is within our society. Sexual exploitation for a lot of women, unfortunately, transcends from the university into the workplace. Women go from being scared of failing at school, to being scared of losing their jobs” – Diana Asonaba Dapaah

“It is so important to have a very clear definition of what constitutes unacceptable behavior so as to avoid the assumption that certain things are acceptable because they have not been addressed.” – Achieng Butler

For Policies to have meaning, you have to check on them and create standards that are visible, revised frequently, and enforced”. – Sara Carnegie

Interventions are layered, so you still need advocacy. In your advocacy, you’re engaging the public, the duty holders within the workplaces, government officials, and authorities”. So advocacy is important. It is not either/or.” – Udo Jude Ilo

One person can change the world, it takes one person, at the right time, to make the right move and we change the world.” – Chris Severson