Sub Saharan Africa

ANC Women's League President, Angie Motshekga, has called on young people not to heed calls to boycott upcoming elections. She was speaking at a Freedom Day rally organised by the Young Communist League (YCL) and other alliance partners in Mfuleni on the Cape Flats.

The Gender Section of the National Elections Commission (NEC) has begun the conduct of a string of regional Gender Seminars to encourage Women's Political participation in the ensuing Special Senatorial Election.

The first phase of the seminar was held in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County on April 21 and 22 and brought together participants from Grand Bassa, Margibi, Montserrado and Rivercess Counties. The next phase of the seminar will be held on April 24 and 25 in Robertsport, Grand Cape Mount County and would draw participants from Bomi, Cape Mount and Gbapolu Counties.

Group and individual proponents advocating for increased participation of women in governance, have been urged to brace up for another round of advocacy, as the local government elections, approaches later this year.

Ms. Esther Tawiah, Executive Director of Gender Centre for Empowering Development (GenCED) made the call on Tuesday in Ho during a validation workshop on the Local Governance Network’s Position Paper on the participation of civil society organisations (CSO) in local governance.

GENDER minister Inonge Wina says the government is committed to increasing women participation in politics and decision-making positions.
Speaking when she officiated at the third Gender Protocol Summit and Awards ceremony in Lusaka yesterday, Wina said the government's commitment to gender equality was evidenced by the introduction of the National Gender Policy, which had strong commitments to regional and international instruments.

African women from 15 countries across the continent gathered in Nairobi, Kenya from April 23rd to the 24th to deliberate and strategize on women's political leadership in Africa. Convened by FEMNET (African Women's Development and Communication Network) and Urgent Action Fund – Africa (UAF-Africa), the meeting engaged seasoned politicians, aspirants, women's rights activists, leading organizations engaged in enhancing women's political leadership, donors, UN agencies and the media.

In Sub-Saharan Africa, where women hold just 23 percent of the seats in national parliaments and there are only three women heads of state, Catherine Samba-Panza, president of the Central African Republic (CAR), is an inspirational figure. Her position as the first female president of a Francophone country is a powerful symbol for African women, showing they can succeed even in countries where armed conflict, corruption and inequality have been the norm.

This project empowers rural women in Kenya to engage with (county and national) government and participate in budget making and the prioritisation, monitoring and implementation of development activities. This will improve government accountability and responsiveness. It combines tech and non-tech solutions to address low participation by women in decision making.