Members of the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts (WAGGGS), Africa region have been advised to go to school and ensure they take their studies very seriously so as to become relevant to themselves and the society in future.
The advice was given by the chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma in her keynote address to the conference of WAGGS, Africa region, which is still on in Lagos.
Speaking on the topic: "African young women: Soaring towards excellence," Zuma said girls and young women needed to be educated and empowered for them to grow up to make meaningful contributions not only to their families and communities but also to the larger society.
"It is also a known fact that education will give you opportunity to make informed decisions and choices that can help move the society forward. So, you have no excuse for failure. I mean, it is not tenable to say you fail because of your sex," she stressed.
The AUC boss, who also advised the young girls to value their bodies, respect one another's rights, equally warned them against the dangers of child marriage, teenage pregnancy, as well as HIV/ AIDS that could truncate their future.
She promised that the African Union as an umbrella association for African countries would continue to pursue the course of girl-child education and development and that she would like the parents to invest in their wards irrespective of their sex to enable them become assets to the society.
Zuma from South Africa said AU is much interested in seeing them becoming doctors, engineers, journalists, artisans, architects, farmers, pharmacists, miners, botanists, economists, lawyers, entrepreneurs, musicians and so on and move the continent to the next level.
