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When Sahle-Work Zewde went into history this week with her appointment as Ethiopia's first female president, she sent a message to parliamentarians listening to her acceptance speech.
It was an address strewn with several references to women's equality and empowerment. "If you thought I was already talking a lot about women," she told the parliament, "know that I'm just starting."
The appointment of Sahle-Work, an experienced diplomat who has held several positions at the UN, means she will be the only woman head of state in office in Africa. Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, Prime Minister of Namibia, is the only woman head of the government of the continent.
Africa has had four women presidents, starting with former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, first world president elected black woman and first elected African head of state in 2005. Joyce Banda was sworn in as president of Malawi in 2012 after the outgoing president died during his tenure.
Three years later, Ameenah Gurib-Fakim became president of Mauritius, but was forced to withdraw earlier this year due to allegations of financial irregularity. In 2012, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma, then Minister of Home Affairs of South Africa, was elected first president of the African Union.
The appointment of Sahle-Work comes one week after Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed packed half of his new cabinet with women, including the country's first defense minister. Never before have Ethiopian women held so many senior positions in the government, in addition to nearly 40% of the seats in parliament.
Although the role of president of Sahle-Work is essentially ceremonial, it has a symbolic weight that goes beyond the borders of Ethiopia. "In a patriarchal society such as ours, the appointment of a woman at the head of the state is not only the norm for the future, but it also normalizes women as decision-makers of the state. public life, "Fitsum Arega, the Prime Minister's chief of staff, wrote on Twitter. .
But beyond the changes in the corridors of power in the capital, Addis Ababa, gender disparities persist in Africa's second most populous country. Last year, Ethiopia, the country's key program for Irish Aid, the government's overseas development program, ranked 121st out of 160 countries on the basis of an index of gender equality based on social, health and political measures.
Child marriage is still common, with 58% of women married before the age of 18. Female genital mutilation (FGM) remains widespread, with 74% of girls and women aged 15 to 49 being subjected to FGM, according to UNICEF.
After being sworn in this week, Sahle-Work spoke about the role of women in solving the country's problems. "If the reforms we have undertaken are carried out equally by men and women, the country will soon forget about poverty and backwardness and move towards prosperity," she said, adding that Ethiopian women should "build a society that rejects the oppression of women ".
Changes are also underway in neighboring Rwanda, where President Paul Kagame announced that women would make up half of the country's new cabinet. Rwanda's new trade and economic planning ministers are women. Kagame said that an increase in the number of women ministers would improve the cabinet's efficiency. He also noted that "more women in decision-making positions have reduced discrimination and gender-based crimes."
Last month, the Malian president announced the appointment of a new government composed of 30% women, including key positions such as that of Minister of Foreign Affairs. In Nigeria, a presidential candidate (men) in the upcoming elections promised to give 40% of government positions to women and youth.
While the appointment of Sahle-Work and the growing number of women ministers across the continent are helping to change the face of African politics, academics point out that there is still much to be done to to be accepted at the polls. Of the nine women heads of state and government that Africa has had so far, only two had an electoral mandate to run their country. For example, Malawi's Joyce Banda failed to win the presidential elections later.
Gender quotas have played a key role in improving the political representation of women in several countries of the continent. Rwanda has been a pioneer in this regard, with women making up 63% of the lower house of parliament – the highest in the world. Gender quotas have also been introduced in Burundi, Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda and Eritrea.
Irish independent
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