Women leaders at the East African Community (EAC) headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania, have launched an engagement platform for young women aiming to step into future leadership positions. Their initiative seeks to inspire confidence and foster a critical mass of female leaders across societal development.

e initiative aims to combat societal beliefs that hinder girls' progress. Members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) and students from the Tengeru Institute of Community Development are actively involved in this effort.

The EAC has been lauded for increasing women's participation in parliamentary politics, with some member states surpassing the Beijing-recommended 25% representation.

EALA Rwanda Representative, Fatuma, highlighted Rwanda's achievement of 61% representation, including speakers and a female president.

Despite political gains, concerns persist about the underrepresentation of women in corporate leadership. Women leaders emphasize that entrenched societal beliefs about gender roles continue to impede progress.

Plans are underway to hold similar dialogues annually across the eight EAC partner states to sustain momentum in advancing gender equality and leadership among young women.