It has been argued that where women are fully represented, societies are more peaceful and stable. Women's political participation is fundamental for gender equality and their representation in positions of leadership must be a priority for all African governments. Women are largely under-represented in decision-making and leadership positions in Africa.
 
Over the last years, there has been more women in parliaments and decision-making positions than before. In the parliamentary elections of Rwanda in September 2013 women obtained 64 percent of the seats, which is the highest number in the world. However, women's participation in governmance and decision-making remain very limited. They are outnumbered by men in all decision-making and leadership positions.
 
In the history of Africa, there are now three women who have been elected president:
  • Ellen Johnson Sirleaf – President of the Republic of Liberia
  • Joyce Banda – President of the Republic of Malawi
  • Catherine Samba-Panza – Interim President of the Central African Republic

There is progress here and there on the continent regarding women's rights . We must go much further to ensure greater gender equality in Africa. It is not just a matter of justice....When women take their rightful place at the negotiating table, in the parliament and in leadership positions across society, we can unleash Africa’s enormous potential..." UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

To learn more about women's political participation, please visit the following websites:

Source: Public Agenda Ghana
Twenty-three out of the 64 women who contested the New Patriotic Party (NPP) primaries were elected as parliamentary candidates and would contest on the ticket of the NPP in the 2012 general elections.

Source: IPS
Victoria Zanele KaMagwaza-Msibi admits she is no angel. But for 30 years she’s navigated through South Africa’s tough political landscape, mainly as a member of a male-dominated party, and now as the leader of her own political party.

Source: IPS
Come rain or shine, single mother of five, Sylvia Mathebula,* can be found selling fruit and cigarettes at the roadside because it is the only way her family can survive.

Source: IPS
In Sierra Leone’s highly patriarchal society, where institutionalised gender inequalities are exacerbated by discriminatory customs, one group is singing its way towards changing this.

Source: Capital FM Kenya
The Director of the Kenya Anti Corruption Commission Patrick Lumumba has challenged women to discard the notion that historical cultural barriers discourage them from applying for top positions.

Source: IPS
The Democratic Alliance (DA) election posters, which feature party leader Helen Zille, Cape Town mayoral candidate Patricia de Lille and party spokeswoman Lindiwe Mazibuko, do not necessarily mean that a vote for the party is a vote for women, analysts say.

Source: NewVision
FEMALE legislators have asked president Yoweri Museveni to increase the number of women in the Cabinet.

Source: Times Live
Chief electoral officer Pansy Tlakula called on Friday for a quota system to improve women's representation in the public and private sector.

Source: PR-USA.net
The Chairperson of the African Union Commission (AUC), Dr. Jean Ping, has today, 04 May 2011, met in his office at the AUC Headquarters in Addis Ababa, with 7 of fourteen Women Ambassadors accredited to the African Union who visited Sudan from 13 – 17 April 2011 on a solidarity mission with Sudanese women. They have briefed the chairperson about their visit.

Source: IRIN
Queen Tinyiko Nwamitwa-Shilubana has often found herself at the crossroads of South African history and has helped usher in democracy and expand women's rights. She has also helped define the role of traditional leaders in the fight against HIV.

Source: UN News Centre
Senior United Nations officials today stressed the need to promote the participation of women in decision-making, noting that democracy and gender equality are interlinked and mutually reinforcing.

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