By Miracle Nwankwo
After organizing the protests that ousted the three-decade rule of Sudan’s autocratic President Omar al-Bashir on 11 April 2019, Sudanese women are playing a prominent role in the country’s new transitional government, as they seek to overturn many of the restrictive Islamic laws that stifle women’s rights enforced by the former government.
While I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last. These words by the first female Vice president-elect of the USA, Kamala Harris, in her first post-election address to the nation, is a sign of political victory to women all over the world.
By Ibifuro Ken-Giami
2020 will remain an unforgettable year in the archives of history, owing largely to the trail of challenges and hardship faced by most people as a result of the COVID19 pandemic. Although there are several negative impacts of the pandemic, it has clearly revealed the systemic and deep forms of inequalities in the world system. Shamina Singh, Founder & President of the Mastercard Center for Inclusive Growth, succinctly elaborated on this point in her statement that “COVID-19 has brought to the forefront the urgency of inclusive growth and the impact of unequal growth.”
Kembet Bolton
While Africa has continued to record great feats in many areas, including economic and social accomplishments, its women have often been relegated to the background when it comes to key issues such as politics and governance.
By Kembet Bolton
Is Kamala Harris the best fit?
Amy Klobuchar, Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren! These names all topped the list for speculations of who will be the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee, Joe Biden’s running mate.
Kenya’s 2017 General Election, despite being the second after the promulgation of the new Constitution, ushered in a number of firsts in the political arena. It was the first time that a presidential election results had been annulled. It was also during this election that Kenya got its first set of female governors. Apart from Charity Ngilu who had won the Kitui gubernatorial race, the other two female governors, Anne Waiguru and late Dr Joyce Laboso, were not considered political heavyweights. They were only mastering the ropes of politics at the very top with the win being Waiguru’s first attempt at politics and Laboso starting on a new path having only come into politics as her sister’s successor. Dr Laboso, who recently passed on has always been at the forefront of Kenya’s power ground championing for empowerment and encouraging women to set out and achieve their goals. As a pioneer…
When the Prime Minister of Canada, Justin Trudeau came into office in 2015, he formed the first gender-balanced cabinet in Canadian history. In announcing his cabinet, he ensured that half of his closest advisers (15 out of a total of 30) were women. Canada’s gender-equal cabinet vaulted the country from 20th to fifth place in the world in terms of percentage of women in ministerial positions. When reporters asked Trudeau about why gender parity was important to him, he retorted: “Because it’s 2015.” His simple yet momentous response resonated with those committed to equity, diversity and inclusion. Following his response, public health researchers, began to think that if increasing the number of women in positions of power promotes gender equity, could it also promote population health and well-being? Based on their findings, they have reported that Population Health, support the argument that yes, women in government do in fact advance…
