An international women conference opened at Bingu International Conference Centre in Malawi’s capital Lilongwe on Monday to discuss feminist leadership and development agenda for Africa .

The Women Steering Innovative Leadership in Africa Conference which is organised by Urgent Action Fund-Africa and other partners brought together over 250 delegates from across the continent representing different interest groups on Africa development, feminist leadership for social justice and decision-making and though leadership.

With the theme of powering the African dream, the summit wants to explore how women leaders can transform the African society.

Though Africa has produced great women leaders like Liberia’s President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Malawi’s Joyce Banda and African Union Commission chairperson Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma among others, there is still a deficit since majority of women are missing in decision-making tables in many countries.

While opening the conference, Malawi’s minister of Gender, Children and Social Welfare Anitta Kalinde said Africa has a number of high achieving women in business, agriculture and other sectors, making women an integral part of development of their nations.