As the end of 2024 draws near, we reflect on the political progress made by women in Nigeria and Africa. Despite historical challenges, women’s participation in politics has shown promising signs of growth, with a surge in female candidates, and elected officials.
Looking on the year’s achievements, we celebrate the courage, resilience, and determination of Nigerian and African women in politics, who are rewriting the narrative and paving the way for a brighter, more equitable future.
Women leading the charge across Africa
2024 saw women from across Africa defy the odds and successfully challenge the patriarchy in African politics, with some rising to the highest positions of power in their respective countries.
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah rules Namibia
Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah, from the governing South West Africa People’s Organisation (SWAPO), has been elected as president of Namibia. After a disputed election, Nandi-Ndaitwah was declared the winner on 3 December 2024 becoming the country’s first female leader.
For the 2024 elections, Nandi-Ndaitwah contested against the patriarchal culture in the country, and her win signifies a change in political culture in Namibia, where male politicians have been dominant since independence.
DRC gets female Prime Minister
On 12 June 2024, Judith Tuluka Suminwa was sworn in as the first female Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), a move marking a significant step towards gender equity. For her strides, the Prime Minister was recently ranked the 77th most powerful woman in the world on the Forbes list.
Opoku-Agyemang becomes Vice-President of Ghana
In Ghana, Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang made history as the country’s first female Vice-President, marking a pivotal moment in the country’s politics. This groundbreaking achievement marked a monumental step forward for gender representation in Ghanaian politics and has been celebrated as an inspiration for women and girls across the nation and the African continent.
Nigeria’s ministerial appointments
Although Nigeria still lags in terms of women’s representation in parliament, with only 4% of women in the Senate, there have been some notable ministerial appointments. This year, several women were appointed to ministerial positions. President Bola Tinubu, on 23 October 2024, made a major restructuring of his cabinet to improve government operations.
This saw the appointment of Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu as Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Suwaiba Said Ahmad PhD as Minister of State, Education, while Jumoke Oduwole was appointed Minister of Industry, Trade, and Investment.
Active participation in politics
The Edo elections, held on 21 September 2024, saw 17 candidates vie for the position of Governor with Patience Ndidi Key standing out as the sole female contender among 16 male candidates. While she may have lost the elections, she became the first female to contest in the Governorship elections in the state.
Ondo election was also not short of female candidates as it saw two female candidates, Elizabeth Moyosola Olorunmonu and Shekoni Susan Gbbemisola, contest for the role of Deputy Governor for their respective parties.
The task ahead
While there have been some notable achievements by women in politics in Nigeria and Africa, there is still a long way to go to achieve true gender equality. At the beginning of 2024, the share of women in parliaments across sub-Saharan Africa was 27.3%, a 0.8-percentage-point increase relative to 12 months previously and the third highest among all regions in the world. Nigeria was also ranked the least gender-representative parliament in the region, with women making up only 2.8% of MPs in the upper chamber and 3.9% of MPs in the lower chamber following the 2023 polls. As we look to the future, it’s evident that much work still needs to be done to achieve gender parity in Nigerian and African politics.