Women’s place in Africa’s political leadership

NAMIBIA’S FIRST FEMALE PRESIDENT was sworn in last weekend on Friday. The epoch-making event at the country’s capital, Windhoek, was one in which Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, was inaugurated as Africa’s second directly elected female leader. Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, 72, was declared the winner in Namibia’s November 27 to 30, 2024 general election and was declared winner on December 3, 2024. She contested under the banner of her party, the Southwest African People’s Organisation (SWAPO), thus joining the ranks of Africa’s other female leaders like Ellen Johnson Sirleaf of Liberia, Joyce Banda of Malawi and Catherine Samba-Panza.  

Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah’s ascension to the highest office in the South-western African country underscores the increasing participation of women and recognition of their leadership role in the continent. Apart from their visibility in boardrooms and sports, women in Africa are increasingly becoming more visible in positions of power and in politics, gradually diminishing the traditional stereotypes that have held women back for so long in Africa. By that election and Friday’s swearing-in, Nandi-Ndaitwah became one of the few women leaders on the African continent.

Although an Africa expert’s opinion that Africa is “more open to the idea of women leaders” could have some tinge of validity, the size of the continent in terms of population and diversity of the people tend to belie the assertion.  “Africa has, on average, the highest rates of women in parliament. People are more open to the idea of women leaders,” said Martha Johnson, associate professor of political science who specializes in African politics. She pointed out that Nandi-Ndaitwah’s party led the way to put gender parity quotas into the country’s constitution, and “[Nandi-Ndaitwah] was able to remain clean and unassociated with corruption and she had name recognition.” Fine, as her party, SWAPO, held on to a slim majority in Parliament.

Continuing, Johnson said “Africa has, on average, the highest rates of women in parliament. People are more open to the idea of women leaders.” Unlike many Western nations, she pointed out, African governments have more quotas for gender proportionately than any other region in the world, which means that as a result, many African parliaments have a high proportion of women. SWAPO’s quota is even more notable, she said, because it requires an even proportion of men and women on the ballot and in party leadership. Whether this is true all across Africa is subject to dispute as recent experience in Nigeria’s parliament would show.

Responsible leadership – particularly on the political turf – has, however, come a long way in Africa over the past few decades. Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf led the way, winning a presidential contest to clinch the highest office in Liberia. The Liberian politician was the first elected female head of state to lead a nation in Africa. She was declared winner of the Liberia election on November 23, 2005, and served as the 24th president of Liberia from January 16, 2006 to January 22, 2018. Her tenure of office was characterised by peace and economic progress in the country. She strengthened women’s rights and expanded freedom of speech.  

Joyce Hilda Banda, a Malawian politician, served as President of Malawi from April 7, 2012 to May 31, 2014. Banda took office as President following the sudden death of President Bingu wa Mutharika, who was President of Malawi from May 2004 until his death in April 2012. Banda is the founder and leader of the People’s Party, created in 2011. She was Malawi’s fourth president and its first female president. Catherine Samba-Panza – previously the Mayor of capital city Bangui – was appointed to serve as transitional president of the Central African Republic in January 2014 until March 2016. She was tasked with restoring stability to the troubled country then, which had remained in turmoil since 2004, plagued by civil war.

Samia Suluhu Hassan, a Tanzanian politician who has been serving as president of the United Republic of Tanzania since March 19, 2021, is the first woman in Tanzania to serve in that position. Prior to that, she served as vice-president of Tanzania from 2015 to 2021. Like in the case of Joyce Banda, Hassan’s ascension to the presidency came following the death of John Magufuli, her predecessor in office. Apart from Catherine Samba-Panza, Joyce Banda and Suluhu Hassan as beneficiaries of golden opportunities, Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf and Nandi-Ndaitwah actually contested elections for the positions and won in their respective countries.

Outside pure partisan politics for the purpose of running governments, there are yet more openings for women’s relevance and active participation. Last Thursday, Kirsty Coventry, seven-time Olympic medallist and former swimming star was elected as president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Zimbabwe’s sports minister Coventry, who has been elected as the 10th President of the IOC, became the first woman and African to hold that position. In the new role, she is expected to apply a collective and sustainable leadership approach, just as she owes her position to political support arising from an overwhelming approval in the one round of voting that sealed her choice for the position. Coventry is succeeding Thomas Bach, the ninth IOC President, whose 12-year tenure will officially end after Monday June 23, 2025.

However, while all these exploits of women in public space in Africa are well noted and commended, it is also evident that the systems under which they operated then, or are currently operating, must have been supportive as well as conducive. Quite a contrast played out in Nigeria in the past couple of weeks. A female member of the upper legislative chamber or Senate received a rough deal from her fellow male-dominated assembly of senators for daring to defy the Senate president on allegations of harassment, intimidation and emotional blackmail. She had alleged that the Senator – a man similarly accused some years before by another woman – was making sexual advances at her. According to her, she has been subsequently subjected to some forms of harassment and denial of her rights as a senator over her refusal to cooperate with the accused senator.

Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the woman senator, representing a north-central state’s senatorial district had alleged harassment by Godswill Akpabio, male senator from a south-south senatorial district. In essence, both senators are equal except for the official administrative position given to Akpabio as Senate president. The power was brutally and swiftly used against Akpoti-Uduaghan in response to her allegations. Rather than objectively looking into her allegations and investigating to either confirm or refute the veracity of her claims, she was summarily suspended for half a year without pay, barred from the legislative building premises, all her official perks withdrawn, including official security details. She was told not to address herself as an elected senator while the suspension lasts. She was given an option as a condition for reprieve: to write and submit an apology letter, in essence, retracting her allegations.

In a house of Senate with 109 members, one of the four female members that chose to be outspoken has received shocking responses to the voicing out of her grievances. In a rather brazen manner, the accused Senate president – rather than stepping down to allow for an investigation – gleefully chaired a voice vote condemnation of Natasha and her outspokenness which had been described as “gross misconduct,”  upon which she must be penalised. Now, Natasha is fighting a consequential battle of her career as she has escalated her grievances to the International Parliamentary Union (IPU) during a recent assembly in New York. In addition, she has been appearing on some global cable news networks, telling her ordeals. How Akpabio and the Senate he leads intend to handle this case that has taken an international dimension is a matter of conjecture. However, the shoddy handling of Natasha’s case speaks volumes about Nigeria’s readiness to allow a space for women participation in political leadership.

Nigeria participated in the 1995 Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing from September 4 to 15, 1995, which resulted in the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, a landmark document for advancing women’s rights and gender equality.  Here is a more detailed insight into its relevance. It was a major event in the global movement for women’s rights and gender equality. Nigeria, specifically, the Federal Republic of Nigeria was one of the 189 countries represented. Along with 189 other countries, Nigeria participated in the conference and adopted the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BDPfA) in 1995. This document, considered the key global policy document on gender equality, outlines an agenda for women’s empowerment and addresses 12 critical areas for action. Nigeria, along with other nations, is marking the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, reflecting on the progress made and the challenges that remain in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment.

While not defending extremities and excesses in the use of Beijing Conference outcomes, Beijing Declaration nonetheless provides the minimum threshold of what is expected as countries are expected to domesticate the outcomes and use them as policy frameworks and bases. Nigeria is expected to apply the declaration it was signatory to. At least, there has been no official pronouncement that Nigeria has disowned the Beijing Declaration. And if that is correct, then Akpabio and the senate he leads should think more broadly, beyond self and should exalt the nation above self. Nigerian women deserve a fair share of opportunities to excel in political leadership. As a matter of fact and priority, Nigeria should lead the way in opening up the space and enabling women to participate. Charity starts from home.

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