First Woman President for the African Union

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Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, South Africa’s Minister of Health under the post-apartheid government of Nelson Mandela, was elected by the African Union Commission as its chairperson on 15 July 2012, making her the first woman to lead the organization, which includes most of the nations of Africa. This appointment and recognition is an important event for the continent, whose women have always played a dominant role in transmitting to the new generations the most meaningful values and traditions of Africa’s wealth of cultures.

The women of Africa also make a strong contribution to maintaining the economies of the continent by means of their small, often rural/agrarian enterprises that help to sustain the daily life and growth of countless villages. Ms. Dlamini-Zuma’s election is a sign to the international public of the progress African women have made over the past few years.