Power and Parity: Women in African Political Positions

Only two women have been directly elected by their populations to the presidency in African countries: President Ellen Sirleaf Johnson of Liberia in 2006 and President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah of Namibia in 2024. They are not the only African women who have served as heads of state or government. In total, Africa has had 24 female heads of state or government in 18 countries. The 22 remaining female leaders were either appointed by parliament or assumed the position after the death of a predecessor. This means that a third of African countries have had a female head of state or government. 

The trajectory of women’s political leadership in Africa reveals both encouraging progress and persistent challenges. In about 30 years since 1995, the representation of women in parliament has increased from 9.8 percent to 27.1 percent. These gains have come with friction, but to deepen and sustain the advancement of women in political positions, it is important to expand access and opportunity while transforming the environments in which they serve. Negative attitudes toward women in political office are widespread in public attitudes toward women leaders. In a survey of women parliamentarians from 50 African countries, 80 percent reported experiencing psychological violence online and 67 percent reported sexist behavior or remarks.

There is a relationship between increased female representation and improved lives of women and girls in those countries. The Global Gender Gap Index measures the improvement of women’s lives in four categories: economic participation and opportunity, educational attainment, health and survival, and political empowerment. According to this metric, the African countries closest to closing the gender gap include Namibia, South Africa, Mozambique, Burundi, and Rwanda, four of which have had women as heads of state or government, and all have over 33 percent representation of women in parliament. A commitment to increasing women’s political participation is essential to meaningfully advancing the quality of women’s lives. 

Positive strides in female participation in national politics in Africa also highlight the stark contrast between different countries. The underrepresentation of women in political institutions makes them especially vulnerable to exclusion and violence inside and outside parliament. This is exemplified by Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan of Nigeria who accused the senate body’s president Godswill Akpabio of sexual assault. Akpoti-Uduaghan alleged that her rejection of his advances led to him rejecting her motions. She was suspended. 

Violence and hostility against Akpoti-Uduaghan began before she assumed the position. When she ran for governor of Nigeria’s Kogi State in 2019, her convoy was attacked by gunmen, her party’s offices were set on fire, and her supporters were assaulted and even killed. Nigeria has one of the lowest representations of women in the senate in the world at 2.8 percent. While violence against women parliamentarians occurs even in parliaments with higher ratios, more female representation means they are better equipped to build solidarity and resilience in the face of violence. 

Currently, two women serve as heads of state in Africa, President Netumbo Ndaitwah and President Samia Suluhu of Tanzania. The latter assumed the position after the death of President John Magufuli in 2021. Additionally, Judith Tuluka Suminwa was appointed as prime minister of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) in 2023. Namibia’s parliament has a 40.6 percent representation of women in the national assembly, Tanzania has 37.8 percent, and the DRC lags at 13 percent. In the thirteen African countries that have at least 33 percent female representation in their parliament, eight have had a female head of state. 

Among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, representation and participation of women in national politics stands out as an important indicator of societal equity. While Africa is on par with the global average of female participation in government, creating a hospitable environment for female leadership should be a priority.