10 Women blazing the trail in Africa

From leading nations as presidents to challenging societal norms, their stories are a testament to resilience, courage, and the relentless pursuit of progress. Let us celebrate their achievements and honour their ongoing commitment to building a more equitable and inclusive Africa for all.

1. Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, Liberia

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf entered the history books when she became the Liberian President and the first democratically elected female president on the African continent. She is Liberia’s 24th president and has successfully won two terms in office. Sirleaf is also one of the three personalities who were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2011.

Throughout her political career, Madam Sirleaf demonstrated her passion and commitment to hard work, good governance, and integrity. She has also played a key role in advocating for women’s rights, stressing the value of education to end poverty, and driving economic development.

2. Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, Nigeria

Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is a global finance expert, an economist, and international development professional, fair trade leader, environmental sustainability advocate, human welfare champion with over 30 years of experience working in Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and North America. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the seventh Director-General of the WTO. She took office on 1 March 2021, becoming the first woman and the first African to serve as Director-General. Okonjo-Iweala had a 25-year career at the World Bank in Washington, DC as a development economist and rose to the second position, managing director. As managing director, she spearheaded several World Bank initiatives to assist low-income countries during the 2008–2009 food crises and later during the financial crisis. In 2010, she was the chairperson of the IDA replenishment, the World Bank’s successful drive to raise $49.3 billion in grants and low-interest.

3. Aja Fatoumata Jallow- Tambajang, Gambia

Fatoumata is a famous Gambian politician. Having been appointed in September 2017, she is also the country’s current Vice President. Born in 1949, she grew up in the countryside and later went to school in the Gambia, Senegal, and France. Tambajang is a mother of eight children and is known to be a strong defender of human rights.

Aja had been advocating for women’s rights for most of her life. She even engaged in political activism in the Gambia to press for freedom from the 21-year dictatorial regime of Former President, Yahya Jammeh. On her recent trip to the United States after being sworn in as Vice President, she said, “There was no freedom of expression or freedom of association. Institutions were dormant because of his dictatorial handling of the state. There were numerous political persecutions”.

She consistently fought for poverty alleviation, social justice, and equity. Because of her excellent mediation skills, Fatoumata was appointed as the mediator to engage with various opposition parties to realize gender balance. As a result of these efforts, in 2016, she was appointed a chair of the coalition that pushed for regime change. After 2 decades of dictatorship under Yahya Jammeh, the opposition coalition finally won the election in December 2016.

4. Joice Mujuru – Zimbabwe

Born in 1955, Joice Teurai Mujuru is a famous Zimbabwean politician. She was also Zimbabwe’s Vice President between 2004 and 2014. Mujuru deputized Robert Mugabe, and she was the Vice President of ZANU-PF as well; in fact, she was appointed Vice President after the death of Simon Muzenda. She also previously served in various government institutions and was once considered to be President Robert Mugabe’s successor.

Some of the portfolios she held included: Minister for Youth, Sport, and Recreation between 1980 – 1985, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office between 1985-1988, and Minister of Community Development, Co-operatives, and Women’s affairs between 1988 and 1992. In addition, she served as the governor for Mashonaland Central between 1992 and 1996.

5. Sophia Abdi Noor – Kenya

Sophia Abdi Noor has gone down in history as Kenya’s first elected female Member of Parliament from North Eastern Kenya. Considered to be a marginalized region, Sophia won the Ijara Constituency seat in Isiolo County, Northern Kenya, in the August 2017 election after beating the male incumbent, her closest rival.

Born to a family of Somali pastoralists, the member of the 10th Kenyan Parliament became popular because of advocating for the rights of marginalized women. Noor has spearheaded and participated in numerous gender equality campaigns, and was among the very few women from her community to complete high school and enroll for a teaching course.

For many years, communities living in North Eastern Kenya had always downgraded women and held strong conservative views against them. For instance, women leadership was considered a taboo, both from a religious and cultural perspective. Because of this perception, the conservative Somali community was against women contesting for elective seats. Those who defied the odds typically had no financial resources to compete, were viewed as disrespectful of the culture, and were often belittled.

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6. Diane Shima Rwigara – Rwanda

Diane Rwigara was born in Kigali in 1981, and she is known to be a fierce critic of Rwanda’s President, Paul Kagame, and his government. Rwigara, who is Tutsi, was born into a family of three. She came into the limelight after Assinapol Rwigara, her father and Kigali business tycoon, died mysteriously in a car accident in Kigali. Her dad was a key financier of the ruling party, Rwandan Patriotic Front. She and her family believe their father’s death was politically motivated.

The US-educated politician openly accused the government of masterminding her father’s death. She sought help from both international human rights organizations and foreign diplomatic missions in Kigali to help her get justice. Rwigara is an accountant by profession;however, she is also a vocal women’s rights crusader who has openly criticized the government for bad governance, oppression, and various forms of injustice.

7. Alengot Oromait – Uganda

In 2012, Proscovia Alengot Oromait made history by becoming the youngest individual in Africa, and globally, to be elected as a Member of Parliament. At only 19, Alengot won the Usuk County with 54.2% of the vote. She came into the limelight after the untimely death of her father, Michael Oromait, whose sudden death triggered a by-election.

Keen on fulfilling her dad’s dreams for her to become a politician, Proscovia submerged herself in politics. Oromait was born in 1993 in Katakwi District, and was the second born in a family of ten children. Since childhood, she showed great leadership traits. While at St. Kalemba Senior Secondary School, Alengot was a great and accomplished debater who actively involved herself in writing articles and taking photographs for the school magazine.

Her teachers knew she had great talent and exemplary skills, and they weren’t surprised when they heard she was planning to succeed her father in politics. Some issues Alengot is passionate about include education, health policy, gender issues, and environment.

8. Mbali Ntuli – South Africa