Ambassador of Turkey – Ayşegül Kandaş

Ayşegül Kandaş, the Ambassador of Turkey to South Africa, Lesotho and Eswatini. We discuss some of her career highlights and the instrumental role that education played in her development, noting the power of knowledge. Generally, the number of women in the diplomatic corps is increasing, and there is a relatively strong representation of female diplomats in Africa. Ambassador Kandaş shares some of her key objectives to foster productive enduring relationships between Turkey and the three countries she is accredited to in Africa. This includes increasing the level of investment from Turkish firms, improving trade, establishing development co-operation initiatives, opportunities for scholarships and projects for women and youth. Some of the programs geared towards women include entrepreneurship training, establishing networks of female small and medium enterprises, and providing trading markets. We discuss women in leadership and remark on varying proportions of women to men in parliaments across the world, pointing out that countries with higher numbers of women in parliament tend to have more egalitarian societies . Tune in for more…