African women - The African Mirror

Mar

2024

Ten influential women in African politics

WITH more than a third of African countries headed to the polls in 2024, African women are showing increasing interest in holding leadership positions, including the presidency. Their stories inspire resilience, determination, and visionary leadership, serving as beacons for future generations of female leaders across the continent. The following is a selected list of some influential women in African politics: 1. Sahle-Work Zewde, President of EthiopiaA distinguished Ethiopian diplomat, Zewde made history in 2018 by becoming the first female Ethiopian president. Before her presidency, she held prominent roles within the United Nations, including serving as Special Representative of the Secretary-General…

Mar

2024

By PEDI OBANI

Women battle when trying to take climate change cases to court – South Africa and Nigeria study shows why

ENVIRONMENT

ACROSS domestic courts in Africa, climate cases have been decided in South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya, with some cases pending in Uganda. However, climate litigation is still fairly new. Climate lawsuits are an important way to access justice. This is particularly true for African women because, as research has shown, climate change affects women more than men in key areas including farming, health, water, access to electricity, migration and conflict. PEDI OBANI, Associate Professor, School of Law, University of Bradford I research how the law can be applied to cases of climate change, inclusive development, water governance and sustainability. In…

Dec

2023

By CONRAD ONYANGO, BIRD STORY AGENCY

African women rise up in Forbes ‘Most Powerful Women’ rankings

NEWS

MORE African women are joining and rising up the ranks of the world’s 100 most powerful women, according to Forbes, as they grow their influence in shaping the policies, products and political fights defining the globe. Nigeria’s former minister of finance, currently World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director General, Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has moved the highest on the continent by four places from position 91 in 2022 to 87 in this year’s Forbes "World's 100 Most Powerful Women" rankings. Okonjo-Iweala, the first African woman to lead the WTO, made it to the list for the seventh time in 2023 since her debut…

Jun

2023

By THUKU KARIUKI, BIRD STORY AGENCY

These dynamic women seafarers are charting a new course for African women in the blue economy

NEWS

"WITNESSING the vastness and the beauty of the ocean, encountering diverse marine wildlife and navigating through challenging breathtaking waterways are some of the remarkable aspects of the job," Elizabeth Marami says passionately as she describes her role piloting one of the newest vessels in a growing global fleet of cruise ships. "Each voyage presents opportunities to learn and adapt to new situations," she says of her role behind the wheel of luxurious Celebrity Cruise ships, capable of holding up to 3,260 passengers and 1,400 crew members. While the experience of sailing along the Indian Ocean and exploring the sunny coastlines,…

Sep

2022

By The African Mirror

FASHION: GifaarT: How the headscarf became a symbol of pride for African women

BEAUTY AND FASHION

MOHAMED NDJIM, BIRD STORY AGENCY JUST how important is the headscarf to African dress? To answer this, consider that the finale of the month-long 13th edition of the Biennale of Contemporary African Art, held in Dakar, saw the spotlight switch to a very colourful, very African and, it would appear, timeless, "personality". Hosted by Maguette Guèye and Bineta Seck, the special show was branded ‘Gifaart,' - 'headscarf' in Senegal's Balante language. The show revisited the traditional dress of several African ethnic groups, including the Lebou, Signares, Balantes, Bédiks, Coniaguis, and Bassaris, with the headscarf the star of the show. The…

May

2022

By The African Mirror

Ghana’s human trafficking scourge

HUMAN RIGHTS

JAMILA AKWELEY OKERTCHIRI “It feels like yesterday when I was deceived by one man who claimed to be a travelling agent. He promised me a work opportunity and a good salary,” says 25-year-old Cissy, as she prefers to be called. “As a young lady coming from an average family who really needed help, I fell for his lies.” Cissy says although she was a bit sceptical about the offer and afraid of her destination country, the so-called travel agent convinced her that she had nothing to worry about. “He said I had a host mom who would receive me at…

Feb

2021

By The African Mirror

Meet the 4 African women breaking the science glass ceiling

SCIENCE, TECH AND INNOVATION

LESS than 30% of researchers worldwide are women and UNESCO data shows that only about 30% of all female students choose science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) fields at a tertiary level. Four African women scientists share their experiences in forging STEM careers. NATASHA JOSEPH, Freelance Commissioning Editor, The Conversation OGECHI EKEANYANWU, Commissioning Editor: Nigeria, The Conversation WALE FATADE, Commissioning Editor: Nigeria, The Conversation Dr Dayo Akande, Nigeria I can’t forget my experience as a secondary school student: after qualifying for a science competition at state level in 1989, I was asked to stay back and let my male schoolmate…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

African women are leading community responses to COVID-19 crisis

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

NADIA SITAS and ROSE WAMALWA WHETHER you’re an urban resident living in South Africa’s Cape Town or a Maasai tribesperson in rural Kenya, the COVID-19 crisis has highlighted how women are negatively affected by both the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown. But it has also revealed how women are leading many frontline activities - mobilising grassroots relief efforts, as well as carrying out their existing work - both paid and unpaid. While many of the challenges faced by women and other marginalised groups are not new, the COVID-19 crisis has exacerbated food insecurity, gender-based violence and precarious livelihood opportunities, imposed…

Dec

2020

By The African Mirror

‘A shot can end the stigma’: African women pin hopes on anti-HIV jab

HEALTH

NITA BHALLA KENYAN sex worker Silvia does not much like the large, oblong-shaped blue pill she takes with her porridge every morning. While the daily tablets of pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) drastically cut her risk of getting HIV, they bring with it stigma and even violence due to the common misconception that the drug is taken by people who already have the virus. "I was beaten up by a client who found the pills in my handbag. He thought I had AIDS and accused me of giving it to him and hit me on the head with bar stool. I ended…

Aug

2020

By The African Mirror

How Igbo women used petitions to influence British authorities during colonial rule

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP

BRIGHT ALOZIE, Lecturer in History, West Virginia University SELECTED petitions and written correspondence between Igbo women and British officials between 1892 and 1960 shed fresh light on how women navigated male-dominated colonial institutions and structures of the time. African women acted in varied and complex ways to the situations they found themselves in. This ranged from subtle to overt opposition, and sometimes violent resistance. One response was through petition writing as women took to the pen to articulate their concerns. In my research, I examined several petitions written by Igbo women to British officials during the colonial period. I found…