The MVA Fund of Namibia scooped the 2017 Award on African Gender, at a State Banquet held at the Windhoek Country Club Resort and Casino on Wednesday, 05 June 2018. The award was bestowed upon the Fund in recognition of its commitment towards achieving gender equality in Namibia.
As an institution that supports gender equality and women empowerment, the Fund currently employs 109 women of which three (3) are in executive leadership positions, three (3) in senior management and 22 in middle management portfolios. At governance level, the Fund is led by a Board comprising of three (3) male and two (2) female members.
In this evolving world, claimant and stakeholder expectations also change, and it becomes imperative for any institution including the Fund to adjust its strategies to meet these demands. As such, the Fund is cognizant of the fact that its employees are central to driving its strategies to respond positively to such demands. The Fund therefore invests in creating a working environment which is favorable to the personal and developmental growth of each and every employee. Even though the focus is to provide equal opportunities to all employees, special emphasis is afforded to women, owing to unfavorable past social disparities faced by those in minorities such as women. These efforts are further in line with the Government’s efforts of improving the status of women in society and eradicating injustices of the past as enshrined in the Affirmative Action (Employment) Act No.29 of 1998.
Generally, women face a lot of challenges in their personal and professional life which sometimes affect their performance both at home and work. To address these issues, the Fund launched the Women’s Network in April 2015 to empower its female workforce to grow in various areas of their lives – be it financially, spiritually or professionally. The network further inspires women to share learnings and support each other in the process. Furthermore, as part of its Corporate Social Responsibility the Fund support conferences aimed at inspiring women to realize their worth by sending its female workforce to attend such conferences.
Additionally, the Fund congratulates His Excellency Dr. Hage Geingob, President of the Republic of Namibia on the African Excellence Award for the “African Gender Award” for his efforts in creating legal and policy frameworks aimed at promoting women’s right in Namibia.
Even though the President received the award on behalf of the Namibian people, it is common practices for countries awarded with this prestigious floating award to identify one NGO or Civil Society, Private Sector, and State-Owned Enterprises and individually recognize them for their contribution towards achieving this honorary target. As such, the Fund was nominated as recipients of this award in the State-Owned Category.
The Gender is My Agenda Campaign (GIMAG) which recognizes African States for remarkable progress made towards gender mainstreaming was established in 2005 by Femmes Africa Solidarite (FAS) and its Pan African Center for Gender, Peace, and Development (PAC) in partnership with GIMAC network.