Skip to main content (Press Enter).
 News
    
        Photos

    Week in Photos

    Air Force TV

    Commentaries

    Features

    Art

    About Us
    
        Air Force Senior Leaders
    
        SECAF

    CSAF

    CMSAF

    Biographies

    Fact Sheets

    SECAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library
    
        CSAF Leadership Library 2022

    CSAF Leadership Library 2021

    CSAF Reading List Pre-2020 Archive
    
        2018 CSAF Reading List

    2017 CSAF Reading List

    2016 CSAF Reading List

    CSAF Leadership Library 2023

    CMSAF Leadership Library

    50 Years of the CMSAF

    Adjunct Professors

    Air Force Strategic Documents

    Arctic Strategy

    Empowered Airmen

    State Licensure Portability

    Careers

    AF Federal Advisory Committees

    AF 75th Anniversary

    Policy Updates

    AF Content Management

    Contact Us

    AF Sites
    
        Site RegistrationU.S. Air Force LogoAir Force

        Policy UpdatesNewsroomReoptimizationBIOGRAPHIESAF Senior Leaders      African nations hold Women, Peace and Security Panel at AACS 2023 in SenegalAfrican nations hold Women, Peace and Security Panel at AACS 2023 in Senegal
                        
                        
                        Representatives from Ghana, Tunisia, Senegal, Benin, and Malawi spoke on the Women, Peace and Security Panel March 1, 2023, in Dakar, Senegal. Strengthening regional partnerships fosters open dialogue, providing opportunities to assess capabilities and identify gaps to build further engagements between the U.S. and our African partners. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Madeleine E. Jinks)
                
                Photo Details /
                        Download Hi-Res

African nations hold Women, Peace and Security Panel at AACS 2023Published March 2, 2023
                    
                    By Staff Sgt. Madeleine Jinks
                    
                    
                    U.S. Air Forces in Europe and Air Forces Africa Public Affairs
            **DAKAR, Senegal (AFNS) --**This year’s **African Air Chiefs Symposium** was enhanced for the first time by a Women, Peace and Security Panel March 1, in Dakar.

To kick off this new addition, panelists from Malawi, Benin, Senegal, Tunisia and Ghana spoke on initiatives impacting recruitment, challenges they face and areas of improvement for each country.

“This is a great opportunity and an important audience,” said Michelle Tafur, Association of African Air Forces Permanent Secretariat member. “We’re bringing together the senior leadership of so many air forces and promoting advocacy for certain women’s initiatives. We selected officers that showcase a broad spectrum of different realities on the continent.”

Senegalese armed forces Lt. Col. Khadessa Sy, representative for Senegal, spoke about the struggles women face when it comes to equality in her service branch.

“Making up only 5.5% of the force, women are underrepresented and often misunderstood,” Sy said. “The life as a married woman and life as a member of the armed forces is not balanced. We need males and females to be able to live in harmony and understand each other so that they can give their best to benefit the armed forces and the nation.”

In the question-and-answer portion of the panel, panelists were asked how they envisioned the progress of women, peace and security in their countries during the coming years. Tunisian armed forces Capt. Ibtihel Youssef, representative for Tunisia, voiced her hopes for change on two major struggles: representation and violence.

“We are working so that women are represented in all professions,” Youssef said. “No more violence!”

Youssef went on to address a common goal of every country on the panel: mobilizing and training women in peace building missions. In many crisis regions, women have long been performing crucial work in peace processes – yet this work often goes unnoticed.

“We want women’s skills to be recognized and we want to be included in the fight against threats, both foreign and domestic,” Youssef said.

Ghanian air force Group Captain Sophia Jiagge, representative for Ghana, ended the panel by addressing the room with a call to action.

“The future looks bright for women, peace and security in our countries,” Jiagge said. “We need your advocacy and support to move toward a new era of lasting global peace and security.”

The 12th annual African Air Chiefs Symposium is a multinational security cooperation initiative that features a diverse range of workshops as well as cultural activities. It is intended to foster more effective military relationships between participating nations.AAAF 



Africa 



African Air Chiefs Symposium 



AACS 23 



LR 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



diversity 



Women’s History Month 



AACS 



women 



peace 



security 



USAFE AFAFRICA 



U.S. Air Forces in Europe 



Air Forces Africa Featured News
        Senior Leader Priorities
                SecAF, CSAF, CMSAF begin Indo-Pacific trip focused on ACE
                    
                    DAF leaders talk budget, reoptimizing the force
                    
                    DAF leaders speak at National Character and Leadership Symposium
                    
                    DAF members recognized during BEYA STEM awards
                    
                    DAF senior enlisted advisors discuss Airmen, Guardians in the fightInnovation
                F-16s arrive to be modified for autonomous testing
                    
                    AFWERX director discusses role of tech startups, quick innovation in Great Power Competition
                    
                    DAF delivers lethality at the speed of data during Project Convergence Capstone 4
                    
                    DAF welcomes industry partners to HQ development program
                    
                    DAF announces Spark Tank 2024 finalistsMAJCOM News
                Safety enterprise announces new mission, vision, goals in 2024 strategic plan
                    
                    Air Combat Command welcomes new commander
                    
                    USAFE-AFAFRICA commander discusses Integrated Air, Missile Defense during Munich Security Conference
                    
                    Flosi to AFMC family: Embrace change, make every day count
                    
                    AMC rises to increasing global tension
 Quick Links
AccessibilityContact UsEqual OpportunityFOIA | Privacy | Section 508Information QualityInspector GeneralJAG Court-Martial DocketLink DisclaimerNo FEAR ActOpen GovernmentOSI Tip LinePlain LanguageQuestionsResilienceRSSSite MapVeterans Crisis LineCareers
Join the Air ForceAir Force BenefitsAir Force CareersAir Force ReserveAir National GuardCivilian ServiceConnect
            Get Social with Us
            
            Official United States Air Force Website
    Hosted by Defense Media Activity - WEB.mil