- 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:
Just 6.5% of the parliamentary nominees for the elections are women. But one of them is Maada Bio's running mate and could become vice-president.
The Honorary Consulate General of India in Liberia has today, November 19, announced that the President of the Republic of Liberia, Her Excellency Mrs. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, has been awarded the Indira Gandhi Prize 2012 for Peace, Disarmament, and Development.
Violence against women remains one of the biggest challenges in Zimbabwe, especially during election periods, and there are fears the inclusive government has not made any progress to combat this crime.
The Gambia's first woman village chief is not only changing perceptions of what a chief looks like, but also of what they do.
Supporters of the opposition Sierra Leone People’s Party (SLPP) will today take to the streets of the capital Freetown for the last time before presidential, parliamentary and local elections on 17th November.
Cameroon’s new biometric registration of voters may end up disenfranchising many potential voters, especially women in the country’s predominantly Muslim north where cultural practices may prevent them from having their photos taken.
President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf receives France’s highest award and public distinction, the Grand Croix of the Légion d’Honneur this Wednesday, November 7 from the President of the French Republic, François Hollande.
Liberian Nobel laureate Leymah Gbowee has decried the low level of women's participation in governance in West Africa despite hope brought about by their recent achievements.
Source: Sokwanele
Women in Zimbabwe constitute 52% of the population meaning that they are in the majority. This statistic does not translate to women's proportionate representation in decision-making processes. Women are under-represented and are often left on the sidelines, while men position themselves as the front runners in politics as political leaders, in the law as judges, in business and corporate giants as directors and top management. The advantage that men enjoy, and the disadvantage that women endure are due to a number of political, social and economic factors including the nature of politics characterised by patronage and violence, the patriarchal nature of society, gender stereotyping and how these factors impact women's decision making abilities, the distribution of wealth and women's inability to access resources to improve their financial status.
However there are various regional and international instruments that seek to improve women's participation in decision-making among these the Protocol to the SADC Gender and Development Protocol, the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa (the Maputo Protocol) and the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). Zimbabwe has done very well in ratifying these regional and international instruments, signifying its willingness to be bound by the provisions therein. The implementation of these regional and international norms has, however, not been as smooth. It has been hampered by a plethora of challenges- top of which is the non-domestication of these norms.
This has largely been a function of the dualist system that the Constitution of Zimbabwe advocates; namely that any conventions or treaties that Zimbabwe signs and ratifies cannot become binding and have the force of law unless Parliament puts in place an Act of law giving them such force. Now, Zimbabwe is in a process of making a new Constitution, whose likelihood of becoming 'THE' Constitution of Zimbabwe is becoming more real by the day. It is hence trite that in light of that development this analysis be conducted to determine if at all, the possible adoption of a new constitution will improve the implementation of regional and international standards that seek to improve women's participation in decision-making processes.
ZIMBABWE needs to enact a policy that enables more women to venture and participate in key sectors that drive the national economy, an official with United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has said.
As Kenya gets ready for voter registration this month, ahead of the country’s Mar. 4, 2013 polls, women’s rights organisations are hoping that the provisions for gender equality in the new constitution will mean significantly increased representation in the government.