Powerful women in politics

The struggle for gender equality has been a predominant problem all around the world. In African countries women were seen as the inferior gender and therefore did not have a voice of their own. The main roles of women in Africa had been limited to that of family care giver, housekeeping. The old adage of women being hewers of wood and drawers of water relegated the power and capacity of African woman to the duties of motherhood from time immemorial. But for a couple of years now women have proven to be leaders, Icons, pioneers and also struggle warriors the list is endless. Even idioms such as “you strike a woman you strike a rock” have become popular globally.  

We had heard of the most powerful male leaders, but this has changed, there is a new phenomenon on the horizon, courtesy of the most powerful women. In December 2021, Forbes listed the 100 most powerful women in the world and three African women made it to the list, namely, Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, the current Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO). Her appointment in March 2021 to the WTO position made her one of the most three powerful women in the world, Mo Abudu, the Nigerian media entrepreneur, is a global media powerhouse, whose EbonyLife TV operates in 49 African countries and President Samia Sululu Hassan, the first female president of Tanzania. She made history in September 2021 when she became the fifth woman to ever address the United Nations General Assembly as Head of State from Africa. In a more of a patriarchal society, these women have swept into the previously male-dominated field. 

Forbes Africa (March 2020), in its first of its kind Pan African unranked compilation  of the continents leading women, drawn from business, politics, media, science, sports and public life, who are challenging the status quo and creating a terrain where there was none. These women are reshaping history, closing inequalities and pioneering new avenues. Out of the 50 women cited in this magazine, 17 are from South Africa. These women continue to use their voices and platforms to champion girls and women rights, access to quality education and economic opportunities. 

According to an article published in the African Business (March 2022), at a virtual conference co-convened by Africa.com and Coca Cola, the role that women should play in shaping Africa’s present and future was a key theme. The event introduced 22 women who have served as president or prime minister of an African country, five of whom spoke at the conference. Some of the speakers included Liberia’s former President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, former Malawi President Joyce Banda, Namibian Prime Minister Saara Kuungonelwa-Amadilha and former President of Mauritius, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim. One of the threads that ran through each speaker’s session was how Africa’s growth prospects could not be achieved if women remained at the bottom of the food chain. 

African women have left huge foot prints in history, the likes of Winnie Madikizela Mandela, a woman who stood against inequality and prejudice against black people. Nthabeleng Likotsi, the first woman to own a Mutual Bank in South Africa. And another first in Africa, the recent appointment of the first Ethiopian female president. President Sahle-Work was appointed in Ethiopia in 2018.  

At EMCA, we conduct public workshops and seminars on women leadership and participation in politics, voter education and training for women who are candidates whether on a partly list or independent.  These workshops and seminars, are to them in the different dynamics of campaign management and political strategy.