2024, Africa's "super election year," delivered mixed results for women's political participation. While Namibia made history by electing its first female president, women's representation in parliaments declined in the majority of countries that held legislative elections. With the continent-wide average standing at approximately 27% as of January 2025, the goal of gender parity in African parliaments remains a work in progress.
2024, commonly referred to as the “super election year”, saw 15 countries hold elections with polls in 5 countries postponed or suspended across the African continent. Of the 15 countries, four (4) countries (Algeria, Comoros, Mauritania, Tunisia) held presidential elections, five (5) (Botswana, Madagascar, Mauritius, South Africa, Togo), parliamentary polls, and six (6) countries (Chad, Ghana, Mozambique, Namibia, Rwanda, Senegal), held presidential and parliamentary elections.
Beyond the Vote: How Women Fared in Africa's 2024 Elections
Parliamentary elections
In the countries where parliamentary elections were held, women averaged 32% of the members elected to the lower/single house. It is a slight increase from the previous elections when it stood at 31%. Following the parliamentary elections, the following observations on women elected to the lower/single house can be made:
Of the countries that held parliamentary elections, the majority (8 of 11) do not have gender quotas. Of the three countries where quotas are implemented – Rwanda, Senegal and Togo – Rwanda not only met but exceeded its quota target of 30%. Senegal and Togo have both set ambitious quota targets – 50% - that are in line with the commitments set in the Maputo Protocol (Article 9) and CEDAW General Recommendation 40. While falling short, Senegal ranks as one of the countries with the highest percentage of women elected to the lower/single house in Africa with 41.2%. In Togo, despite the adoption of the quota, 18.6%.
Presidential elections
Overall, female representation among presidential candidates is extremely low. Of the 86 presidential candidates, four were women and 82 men. Only four countries (Senegal, Chad, Mozambique, Namibia) had a female presidential candidate and of those, one was successful. Netumbo Ndemupelila Nandi-Ndaitwah was elected President of Namibia, becoming the first woman to hold this position.
Towards parity
The goal of achieving parity in representation in the lower/single houses of parliament across the continent remains unfulfilled. The 2024 saw modest increases in women elected in some countries, while it decreased in the majority.
As of 1 January 2025, Rwanda remains the only country in Africa where women have attained 50% or higher with 63.8% female representation in the lower house. Beyond Rwanda, five countries — South Africa, Cabo Verde, Ethiopia, Senegal, and Namibia — have women holding between 40% and 49.99% of seats, representing the strongest performances on the continent outside of Rwanda. A further eleven countries fall in the 30–39.99% range, while the largest cluster of countries, sixteen in total, have women holding between 10% and 19.99% of seats — less than a fifth of their respective parliaments. At the bottom of the scale, five countries have female representation below 10%, with Nigeria recording the lowest figure on the continent at just 3.9%, despite being Africa's most populous nation.
Regional disparities are also evident. Eastern Africa leads with a regional average of 29.7%, though this figure is significantly influenced by Rwanda's outsized performance. Southern Africa follows at 28.5%, driven by strong showings from South Africa, Namibia, Mozambique, and Angola, all of which exceed 39%. Central and Western Africa average 24% and 21.2% respectively, while Northern Africa trails the continent with a regional average of just 19.3%. Taken together, these figures underscore that while pockets of progress exist, women's representation across African parliaments remains far from equal, with the majority of countries still falling below the 30% threshold often cited as a minimum benchmark for meaningful participation.
Gains in Women’s Political Leadership and Political Representation
While women are underrepresented in many parliaments and there are few female presidential candidates, there are some noteworthy and positive developments to celebrate. The include two historic elections and four women seeking the presidency:
Chad:
Ghana:
Namibia:
Netumbo Ndemupelila Nandi-Ndaitwah made history when she became the country’s first female president.
Mozambique:
Senegal:
Conclusion
The 2024 election cycle underscores that progress on women’s political representation in Africa remains fragile and uneven. Namibia’s historic presidential election and Rwanda’s continued global leadership offer important examples of what is possible. Yet these successes stand in contrast to the broader trend: in the majority of countries, the proportion of women elected to parliament declined, and female presidential candidacy across the continent remains the exception rather than the norm.
Achieving meaningful and sustained gender parity will require more than electoral cycles alone. The experience of countries like Senegal and Togo, which have adopted ambitious quota targets yet fall significantly short in practice, illustrates that legislative commitments must be matched by effective implementation and political will. As the continent looks ahead, the 2024 results serve as a reminder that the path to equal representation remains long, and that deliberate, sustained action — through quotas, institutional support, and cultural change — is essential to making meaningful progress.