Botswana

Only 28 women stood for parliament out of 258 contestants, representing 10.85 per cent. Only three women won their seats. This represents 4.92 per cent of the 61 seats. It’s a drop from 5.26 per cent in the 2019 elections.

In Botswana, women make up 54 per cent of the eligible voters. Yet few occupy the corridors of power, where decisions and policies that affect them are made.

Lesego Chombo, a dynamic figure in Botswana's youth scene, lawyer and Miss World Africa 2024, is now the rising star of the country's government, having been appointed Minister of Youth and Gender Equality by Botswana's President, Duma Boko.

Democracy Works Foundation (DWF) in conjunction with Botswana Editors Forum Botswana recently held a two-day workshop to train journalists on how media can play a supportive role in advancing meaningful participation of women in politics.

Currently DWF is implementing a year-long program in Botswana geared towards the advancement and development of women in politics.

Women from across the political spectrum are calling on President Mokgweetsi Eric Masisi to appoint an equal number of women and men to the Constitutional Review Commission. They are further calling on him to ensure that the process is inclusive and delivers gender equality.

The President announced in the State of the Nation Address (SONA) on 8 November that he would appoint Commissioners to lead the Constitutional Review, delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, by mid-December this year.

Female under-representation in politics continues to be a problem in Botswana, where only three women won seats in the 57-member National Assembly during last week’s general elections. Activists say the central African country has a bias against women both in its electoral system and its culture.

After the 2014 general election, Botswana only had four elected female Members of Parliament in the National Assembly. The number dwindled to three after the October 23 national poll.