- Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – President of the Republic of Liberia
- Joyce Banda – President of the Republic of Malawi
- Catherine Samba-Panza – Interim President of the Central African Republic
There is progress here and there on the continent regarding women's rights . We must go much further to ensure greater gender equality in Africa. It is not just a matter of justice....When women take their rightful place at the negotiating table, in the parliament and in leadership positions across society, we can unleash Africa’s enormous potential..." UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon
To learn more about women's political participation, please visit the following websites:
Source: The Zimbabwean
When the African Union declared that 2010-2020 is the African Women Decade, many people may not have taken it seriously. But the rise of women in various fields in Africa, one year into the decade, has been impressive.
The AU declaration could actually be an understatement, as indications are that women in leadership are scaling unprecedented heights and could be the much-awaited answer to most of the continent’s challenges.
Two African women scooped the Nobel Peace Prize for their "non-violent struggle for the safety of women and for women's rights to full participation in peace-building work," and shared the 2011 Nobel Peace Prize.
The Liberian leader, the only female Head of State in Africa, Ellen Johnson Sirleaf and her country-woman, Leymah Gbowee, a peace activist who was a key figure in organizing the movement to bring an end to the Second Liberian Civil War, have done the women folk proud by winning the prestigious award.
Another woman, Tawakul Karmans, a Yemeni journalist and human rights activist, who is one of the loudest voices in the Yemeni protests and a major figurehead of the on-going Arab Spring opposition, is one of the youngest people to receive the prize.
Many will agree that this year’s winners are most worthy because the three women have fought tirelessly for peace and women’s human rights in a non-violent manner - unlike the former male award winners.
Sirleaf is honoured for the development she has accomplished after Liberia's devastating 14-year civil war, led by Charles Taylor who is now facing human rights abuses at the Hague.
Leymah Gbowee started a peace movement by organizing women to pray for peace.
In 2004 the late Professor Wangari Maathai of Kenya, became the first African woman to win the peace prize.
Maathai was renowned as a fearless social environmental activist who led a peaceful women’s movement in Kenya defying years of violent resistence by the then Kenyan government.
Nobel Peace Prizes may come and go, but the courage of these women will remain a source of inspiration for many. Whilst the numbers of women winners may be numerically small, and there are many women in the continent whose achievements are not internationally recognized, the awards have transformed women’s mindsets and the resulting inspiration is likely to reach very far.
Recently Zimbabwe’s first female Vice President, Joice Mujuru, was ranked the fifth most influential woman in Africa by Forbes Africa magazine.
Sirleaf topped the 20 most influential women in Africa followed by Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria’s Minister of finance.
The third most powerful woman was Joyce Banda, who was appointed Vice President of Malawi in May 2009, becoming the country's first female Vice President.
The magazine named Gill Marcus, Governor of the Reserve Bank of South Africa as the fourth most powerful woman in Africa.
Isabel Dos Santos, the daughter of Angola’s president, is number seven and Nelson Mandela’s wife Graca Machel is ranked number 15.
Zimbabwe’s Vice President Joice Mujuru and Deputy Prime Minister Thokozani Khupe are an inspiration to many Zimbabwean women who may wish to take up political decision-making positions.
However, the rise of women into decision-making and leadership positions should not be restricted to the 2010-2020 decade target alone. Women leaders should be given a chance to flourish and be the world’s alternative strategy for peace and sustainanble development.
The existing gender gaps in decision making, access and control over economic resourcerces will require more than just a decade of ‘redress’ policies and practice. Whilst women’s achievements in the coming decade should be celebrated, future decades present opportunities for women’s total empowerment, gender equity and a world of difference to every woman.
Joice Mujuru
Lindwe Mazibuko is the first black woman to pose a serious challenge to the ANC. But can she convince the electorate, asks Aislinn Laing.
Source: allAfrica.com
Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf was confirmed the victor of a run-off poll boycotted by the opposition, and vowed to reach out to her opponents and reconcile the divided nation.
Deputy Chief Justice of Kenya’s Supreme Court Nancy Baraza, who made history as the first woman appointed to the post, has begun overhauling the country’s judiciary.
Source: AlterNet
When post-revolution Egypt holds presidential elections next year, Buthaina Kamel is set to become the first woman in the country's modern history to run for the highest office. Although she knows her chances of winning are slim to none, she says she's doing it out of principle.
Voters in Liberia headed to the polls Tuesday to choose the country's president, defying one candidate's call for a boycott that has sparked violent protests and inflamed divisions in the west African republic.
Source: Reuters
DUBAI - Women should voice demands about their rights during the popular uprisings sweeping the Arab world to avoid being short-changed by post-revolutionary governments, Iranian Nobel peace laureate Shirin Ebadi said.
Like many Libyan women, Siham el-Zentani was consumed by family responsibilities, staying at home to care for her four teenage children. But when she saw the TV images of Libyan refugees fleeing Moammar Gaddafi’s troops this year, she announced to her husband that she had a new mission. “I want to go,” she said.
On November 2, the Subcommittee on International Operations and Organizations, Human Rights, Democracy, and Global Women's Issues and the Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South Central Asian Affairs organized a testimony for the Senate Foreign Relations committee on the role of women in the Arab Spring.
This year the Women’s Islamic Initiative in Spirituality and Equality (WISE) held its third global conference in Istanbul Turkey. The conference, titled “WISE: Muslim Women Leaders at the Frontlines of Change,” lasted just four days, from October 14 to October 17, 2011. It included panel discussions, debates, and training sessions.
Liberia's Ellen Johnson Sirleaf is a joint Nobel Peace Prize winner hailed as a champion for women's rights, as well as a shrewd politician who has allied with an ex-warlord to boost her re-election bid.