Let World Cup empower African women

Africa is again high on the global agenda, and this time for all the right reasons. As the kick-off to the World Cup in South Africa approaches, people are seeing not just South Africa but our entire continent as equal partners in this extraordinary global celebration.

So, as the world's eyes turn to Africa, we should take the opportunity to showcase the key role that Africa's women are increasingly playing in the continent's success.

Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf's election as the president of Liberia, the first woman elected to run an African country, was symbolic of the progress of women across the continent. We are proud as well that women make up more than 50 percent of the members of parliament in Rwanda - the highest proportion in the world. South Africa and Lesotho are just two other African countries that sit near the top of the gender-equality league table.