Sub Saharan Africa

The Assistant Minister of Local Government, Botlhogile Tshireletso, has called for reservation of parliamentary seats for women in order to raise the voice of the distaff section of the National Assembly. Responding to President Ian Khama's State of the Nation Address in Parliament yesterday, Tshireletso sought to amend a bill by Okavango MP Bagalatia Aarone to make provision for reserving seats for women.

As little-known politician Fauzia Yusuf Haji Adan was sworn in as Somalia’s first female foreign minister and deputy prime minister on Monday Nov. 19, the stateswoman who hails from the unrecognised, self-proclaimed republic of Somaliland is tipped to become the country’s “Iron Lady”.

This is according to Adan´s political ally Mohamed Daahir Omar, who used to work closely with her in local Somaliland politics, in which he is currently active.

A gender parity advocate group, Women in Law and Development in Africa (WiLDAF), has mounted a vigorous campaign for women parliamentary aspirants in the Central Region, urging the electorate in the area to vote massively for women to represent them in Parliament.

Ms Darling Norgbey, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) has appealed to women across the country to use their endearing attributes to help diffuse simmering political tensions that could develop into full blown conflicts.

Ms Norgbey, who is President of Police Ladies Association (POLAS), Volta Region, was addressing members of the Association and other security services ladies after a march on Saturday through the Ho Township to herald peaceful elections in the region.

No significant progress has been made towards improving women representation in political decision-making since the institution of the district level elections 16 years ago, Mr Mohammed Alhassan Awal, Director of Northern Sector Action Awareness Center (NORSAAC), has observed.

He indicated that the inadequate or total absence of women in some cases from political decision-making in the country had a negative impact on the entire process of democratization and decentralization.

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.

"This is a sticky issue," Adji Massao, the Far North regional representative of the country's elections management body, Elections Cameroon (ELECAM), told IPS.

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) will introduce programmes that will encourage and bring women into the mainstream of economic and political activities should it be given the mandate come December 7.   

In its Election 2012 manifesto made available to the Ghana News Agency, the NPP said it was committed to the development and welfare of Ghanaian women in granting that the party should be voted for to pursue its agenda.   

SADC’s women parliamentary caucus will visit Swaziland from the today to Thursday to lobby on issues of women empowerment.
The caucus, also referred to as the Regional Women’s Parliamentary Caucus (RWPC), is led by Beauty Dlulane, an MP and also the Chairperson of the Multi-Party National Caucus in the Parliament of South Africa.
According to a press release, the visit is in line with the SADC parliamentary forum’s 2011-2015 strategic plan to lobby and advocate for increased women’s representation in positions of power.