Global Voices Converge at Raisina Dialogue to Champion Women’s Economic Power

New Delhi: A distinguished panel of international policymakers, financial leaders, and development experts gathered at the Raisina Dialogue 2026 to examine the transformative role of women in the global workforce, highlighting how women-led economic participation can reshape national prosperity.

The session titled “The Silent Revolution: Women in the Workforce” brought together influential voices from across Asia and Africa to explore how women-led collectives are driving financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, and community resilience in developing economies.

Among the panelists were Priyanka Chaturvedi, Member of Parliament in India’s Rajya Sabha; Gwendoline Abunaw, Managing Director of Ecobank Cameroon; Jackline Kagume, Programme Officer at the Institute of Economic Affairs in Kenya; and Sunaina Kumar, Director of the Centre for New Economic Diplomacy at the Observer Research Foundation. Also joining the discussion was Chevaan Daniel, Group Director of the Capital Maharaja Group in Sri Lanka. 

The discussion was moderated by Anna-Katharina Hornidge, Director of the German Institute of Development and Sustainability (IDOS) and Professor for Global Sustainable Development at the University of Bonn. 

The panel focused on how women-led collectives are quietly transforming rural economies by improving access to finance, enabling entrepreneurship, and strengthening social mobility. 

Particular attention was given to India’s National Rural Livelihoods Mission (NRLM), which has emerged as a global benchmark for empowering marginalized communities through structured financial inclusion and cooperative economic models. Speaking during the discussion, Chevaan Daniel underscored the broader national implications of women’s economic empowerment. 

“For as long as a nation’s women are somehow dependent on their men, that nation is then at half its strength,” he noted.

Panelists also explored how digital tools, credit-led financing models, and structured community networks can expand market access for products created by women-led enterprises.  Participants emphasized that lessons from India’s experience could be adapted across South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa to accelerate economic mobility for women. The session highlighted the growing importance of cross-regional cooperation in strengthening women’s participation in the global economy, particularly in emerging markets where women remain underrepresented in formal economic structures. The Raisina Dialogue, hosted annually in New Delhi by the Observer Research Foundation in partnership with the Government of India, has become one of the world’s leading forums on geopolitics and geo-economics.

The conference regularly brings together heads of state, ministers, business leaders, academics, and strategic thinkers from across the globe to discuss the most pressing international issues.

This year’s discussions placed renewed emphasis on inclusive growth and sustainable development, with the role of women in economic transformation emerging as a central theme across several sessions. 

The panel concluded with a consensus that empowering women economically is not only a matter of social justice, but a strategic necessity for nations seeking long-term prosperity and stability.