We must be deliberate to ensure gender diversity in the workplace

We cannot achieve our goals without the participation of women and girls," said Antonio Guterres, the Secretary General of the United Nations, during the 2017 International Women's Day celebrations.

Pushing gender equality is something that we, as individuals and corporates, must embed in everything that we do. Women have in the past been left behind in the corporate world such that in the recent Fortune 500 report published in 2020, there are only 37 female CEOs heading the 500 companies on the list.

It is a gradual process, but fortunately, we have already started the journey, and there is a need to fast track for better impactful results.

Many companies have been putting in place structures and policies that give women equal opportunities as men to ensure that they can have a chance to position themselves adequately in their careers and personal lives.

A 2020 report by Catalyst, a global non-profit working to build workplaces that work for women, shows that diverse workforces have a more varied skill set but are more lucrative.

The challenge we face is that in most African communities, women are more marginalised as the traditions have been patriarchal, and the cultural context of upbringing does not help.

The good news is that day-in-day-out, we see more women shattering the imaginary glass ceilings and redefining their position in society. These examples have helped shape perceptions.

Upcoming generations

Female world leaders are setting the pace and acting as role models for upcoming generations. Remarkable women such as Sahle-Work Zewde became Ethiopia's first woman President, and Jacinda Arden, the youngest female leader globally and New Zealand's youngest Prime Minister in 150 years, are good trailblazers.

Having a generation who have such women to look up to will instill in their minds a desire to be the next remarkable women. The United Nations report published in May 2020 says that the Covid-19 pandemic underscores society's reliance on women while simultaneously exposing structural inequalities across every sphere, from health to the economy, to security and social protection.

In times of crisis, such as war or a pandemic, when resources are strained and institutional capacity is limited, women and girls face disproportionate challenges with far-reaching consequences compared to men. It has not been any different during this time of the pandemic.

Therefore, our everyday task is to build a resilient world in everyone's interest, with women at the centre o recovery and progress.

 At KCB, we have achieved a 50-50 gender balance in our mid-level management roles and are working towards achieving and sustaining this balance to the highest level.

170,000 accounts

In our business, we continue to support women-led enterprises through our Women Value Proposition. Through this proposition, over 170,000 accounts have been opened. Last year, we issued loans valued at KShs24 billion with an enviable Non-Performing Loan (NPL) score of three per cent against an industry standard of 12 per cent.

Through the KCB Foundation, we have different efforts towards supporting women and ensuring their inclusion in economic activities. These programmes are structured deliberately to support 50 per cent women beneficiaries.

We have already invested more than KShs3 billion in these community initiatives. This is nowhere near enough, all of us must do more.

The Global Gender Gap Report 2020 by World Economic Forum reports that it will potentially take approximately 95 years to close the gender gap in Sub-Saharan Africa.

We live in a digital world where we are exposed to different ways of living. We can be the next Iceland if our energies are placed in the right direction. The report signals Iceland as the most gender-equal country globally for the eleventh time in a row. It has closed almost 88 per cent of its overall gender gap, an improvement from last year.

As we mark International Women's Day tomorrow, we should all commit to tackling unhelpful stereotypes and biases that hold women back in line with the theme #ChoosetoChallenge.

 But this is a collective responsibility. We are calling for a conscious effort from all stakeholders to root out stereotypes that foster inequality and halt progress in the workplace.

The author is KCB Group CEO and MD.