DRC’s Female Leader, Senegal’s First Ladies, and Nigeria’s Female Leads
There have been so many “firsts” in Africa recently.
President Felix Tshisekedi of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) appointed the country’s first female Prime Minister, Judith Suminwa Tuluka.
It is reported that her appointment is a major milestone for gender inclusivity in politics for DRC and that there is trust in her competence to end the cycle of violence and instability in the eastern region of Congo.
This historic move by the DRC comes at a time when society’s views on women’s leadership are changing.
This trend in public governance is being amplified in corporate governance, especially in Nigeria, where there are a globally significant number of female chairmen of companies listed on the Nigerian Stock Exchange and an increasing number of female CEOs/Managing Directors in the Banking sector.
Despite the notable increase in women’s leadership in Africa, Congolese women are still underrepresented in politics, and Nigerian women still have a lesser share of seats in corporate governance.
DRC’s Female Leader
The appointment of Judith Suminwa Tuluka as the prime minister of DRC is a notable progress in gender inclusivity for women in DRC. Still, women’s representation in Congo’s politics is very low.
The percentage of women in government (parliament and senate) is 14.29%. This is a substantial increase from 8.06% recorded between 2006 and 2010.
In the parliament, women hold 61 of the 477 seats. In the Senate, women hold 26 of the 109 seats.
This indicated that despite the increasing number of women in politics in DRC, they are still under-represented in the country’s decision-making process.
According to some of the women activists, the low representation of women in the decision-making arm of government is one of the reasons why women are greatly marginalised in DRC.
“The low representation of women in decision-making bodies is a major factor affecting the consideration given to their specific needs, the allocation of resources and even the formulation of social and economic legal reforms.”
“That’s why it’s important to ensure that women participate at all levels of decision-making so that they can present and defend their rights in our highly patriarchal society,” the women’s body stressed.
DRC ranked 163 out of 170 in the 2021 Women, Peace and Security Index and 150 out of 162 in the UN’s 2020 Gender Inequality Index.
On women’s representation in governance in Africa, DRC is doing better than only six countries, including Nigeria.
Rwanda has the highest number of female government representatives in Africa and globally, while Nigeria has the lowest number in Africa.
Globally, the average percentage of women cabinet members heading ministries is 22.8 %, and only 13 countries have women holding over 50% of cabinet members leading policy areas.
The appointment of their first female prime minister is a win for women and national development in DRC.
Many experts have shown that women’s participation in politics, including representation in an elected government, contributes to the overall well-being of the community/nation.
This implies she might be the right person to steer the country towards stability and prosperity.
Senegal’s First Ladies
There’s yet another female first in Africa.
Bassrou Faye, the first under-45 President of Senegal, has also set a new record as the first polygamous Senegalese president.
While he has not chosen a female Prime Minister like his Congolese peer, he has projected 2 women simultaneously as his first ladies.
As the two ladies emerge as co-first ladies, Mrs Sonko, the Prime Minister’s wife, may have to settle for the third lady of Senegal.