The World Economic Forum’s 2017 Global Gender Gap Report says that gender parity is over 200 years away.
For me this is a time to keep motivated and #PressforProgress by working toward increasing the number of women like me who work in the manufacturing industry.
Manufacturing is the only guaranteed way for Kenya to increase the number of people earning substantial wages because of strong backward and forward linkages with other sectors in the economy. The more people have reliable and stable jobs, the more they can afford their basic needs.
Outdated and often wrong opinions of manufacturing have impacted women’s desires to join the ranks of manufacturers. One of the ways of increasing the presence of women in manufacturing is a “push-pull” effort – with the “pull” responsibility lying with the employers themselves. We cannot build supply without first creating a robust demand.
Florence Kendi started as a Cleaner, elevated to a Trimmer and Packer and now she is an Assistant Machine Operator at Plast Packaging Industries. She is part of our apprenticeship program that seeks to offer her and other women a path to a rewarding, better level job within this dynamic and cutting-edge industry.
Kenya Association of Manufacturers launched the Women in Manufacturing Program in year 2017. This is a mentorship and networking platform aimed at increasing the participation of women in the manufacturing sector as part of the drive to industrialize for a stable and sustainable economic future for Kenya.
This increased participation will happen when more women in manufacturing attract more women to manufacturing. I am excited and looking forward to the Women in Manufacturing Gala Dinner #WIMKe on 23 March 2018, a platform to show women the huge opportunities in this sector, to pave the way for more women in the future, and to ensure the continued success of our Kenyan manufacturing industry.
