A historic meeting of women Chairpersons of African Election Management Bodies (EMBs) has ended in Accra, with a commitment to establish a Network for collaboration, mentorship and capacity building to promote greater participation of women in decision making. Additionally, the Network aims at offering the support required by the women Chairpersons to navigate the complexities they face in their roles.
The inaugural meeting, which commenced on August 5, saw all the nine female Chairpersons of EMBs in Africa participating actively.
The nine Chairpersons are Mrs. Jean Mensa of Ghana, who is also the President of the Executive Committee of the Association of African Election Authorities (AAEA), Mrs. Maria do Rosario L Pareira Goncalves of Cape Verde, Mrs. Davidetta Browne-Lansanah of Liberia and Mrs. Melatwork Hailu Abebaw of Ethiopia.
Others are Mrs. Justice Annabel Mtalimamja of Malawi, Dr. Elsie Nghikembua of Namibia, Ms. Oda Gazinzigwa of Rwanda, Mrs. Mwangala Zaloumis of Zambia and Hon. Justice Priscilla Chigumba of Zimbabwe.
The meeting was organised under the auspices of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Regional Service Centre for Africa and the United Nations Electoral Assistance Division in collaboration with International IDEA, the African Union Commission (AUC), the Association of African Election Authorities (AAEA) and the Electoral Commission of Ghana.
Speaking at the Opening Ceremony, Mrs. Jean Mensa stated that “despite various legislations and international treaties advocating for gender equality, women in Africa still face substantial challenges and barriers in participating in decision making at the highest level”. She noted that out of the forty-five (45) African nations with EMBs, only nine (9) countries have women serving as Heads of the EMBs.
She stated that “by working together, we can address the systematic barriers that hinder women’s participation and create a more inclusive environment for future generations of women leaders”.
On her part, Ms. Olufonto Akinduro, the Thematic Lead on Electoral Processes, Africa and West Asia Regional Programme – International IDEA stated that the UNDP and International IDEA were keen to promote women’s participation in Election Management. She noted that the International IDEA has one of the largest repertoires of electoral knowledge in the world. She called on the participants to take advantage of the work done on electoral processes in Africa to enhance their efficiency.
Mr. Akinyemi Adegbola, the Chief Electoral Officer of UNOAU/UNEA, who spoke on behalf of the UN Resident Coordinator for Ghana, Mr. Charles Paul Iheanacho Abani assured participants of the readiness of the UN to continue to support the efforts of Women Leaders in Election Management across Africa. He added that the conversation on development transformation as stipulated in the Africa Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals could not take place without women leaders at the forefront. He said despite the progress made in recent years, women in Africa, like other regions, continued to face significant barriers to political participation and representation.
All three speakers stressed the importance of establishing a network of Senior Female Election Management practitioners for the purpose of capacity building, learning and support, among others. This was supported by participants to the meeting.
The meeting was vibrant and productive. At the end of the two-day meeting, Participants committed to working towards the establishment of the Network with the view of launching it before the end of the year.
Signed this Tuesday the 6th day of August 2024 by the Female Chairpersons of African Election Management Bodies.
