African Women Mayors News

Women Mayors reporting from Africa

> African female leaders to act as role models

> Malagasy women ahead of local government elections

> Mayor of Banjul, given African Woman of the Year award

African women leaders who are pushing for greater female participation in politics

AFRICA / LIBERIA

African female leaders have been selected to act as role models for women across the continent

May 2025: A group of 13 African women have been chosen to promote excellence in public service across the continent. The women, who are already in leadership positions in their respective countries, were selected by the Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Centre for Women and Development (EJS Centre) as best equipped to encourage more African women to consider careers in public service. They will join 42 other female leaders from 19 countries in the Amujae Initiative, launched in 2020 by former Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf.

This cohort includes dynamic women like Sahar Albazar from Egypt, a parliamentarian driving youth and women’s issues, and Rohey Malick Lowe, The Gambia’s first female mayor, championing sustainable urban development. Aya Chebbi from Tunisia, who made history as the African Union’s first Special Envoy on Youth, is amplifying youth voices in policy-making. Dr Haja Ramatu Wurie, Sierra Leone’s Minister of Technical and Higher Education, is pushing for equitable education, while Rwanda’s Patrice Uwase, an engineer, drives sustainable infrastructure projects. Each leader brings unique expertise, from public health to youth empowerment, united by a commitment to transformative governance.

The announcement comes at a critical time. A USAID funding freeze and a $60 billion drop in global development aid threaten gender equality programmes, risking decades of progress. A spokesperson for the EJS Centre said that it will continue to ensure that African women leaders have the tools and visibility to thrive.

While women constitute more than half of the world’s population, they still hold only 27 per cent of parliamentary seats globally, according to data presented by UN Women at the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69) in March 2025. In Africa, only 15 countries have achieved or exceeded the 30 per cent benchmark for women’s representation in national legislatures.

Now in ti’s third year, the Amujae Initiative was developed by EJS Centre to create and sustain a league of women leaders within the public service arena in Africa, “Amujae leaders represent women from diverse backgrounds with a similar track record of achievements in public life and a shared passion for uplifting African women and girls and the continent as a whole.”

The Ellen Johnson Sirleaf Presidential Centre is based in Monrovia, Liberia.

MADAGASCAR

Malagasy women join forces to make an impact in local politics *

November 2024: Madagascar has a dismal record in supporting women in local government. With no quota system in place, women find it extremely difficult to be selected as candidates and elected municipal councillors. Now, a women-supporting NGO has started an initiative to train women who want to make their mark in politics. Ahead of the local elections on 11 December 2024, the National Women's Council of Madagascar (CNFM) is running courses on how to campaign and win and on the duties that await successful candidates.

The courses, held over two days, give participants a grounding in electoral regulations, the roles of different public officials, campaign management, political communication and leadership.

Like many African countries, Madagascar has a long-standing gender gap when it comes to politics. Just 26 of the country's 163 members of parliament are women – the equivalent of 16 per cent – down from an all-time high of 64 in 2011. No seats are reserved for female MPs, nor is there a quota obliging parties to field a minimum percentage of women candidates – measures that several other countries in Africa have introduced in a bid to boost participation.

In Madagascar's local elections, women make up six per cent of candidates topping municipal lists, around 320 out of a total of nearly 5,400. "In Malagasy society, women's place has always been considered inferior to men's," according to Estelle Andriamasy, president of the women's council CNFM. "There isn't this culture of equality in the community. Decisions belong to men."

One of the few of Madagascar’s women mayors is Lova Rajaona. She was elected mayor of Antanifotsy (population 55,000) in 2019 after her return from Norway, where she obtained a university degree and started a family. She founded the Blueways organisation to combat poverty in Madagascar through community projects, particularly in education. Rajaona's regular trips to her hometown, where she observed growing poverty and deteriorating living conditions, eventually convinced her to return to Madagascar after nearly two decades in Norway.

Malagasy women were not given the vote until 1960.

* Guilehm Fabry contributed to the story

GAMBIA

Rohey Malick Lowe, Mayor of Banjul, given African Woman of the Year award
August 2024: Rohey Malick Lowe, the Mayor of the Gambian capital Banjul (population 32,000), has been named the African Woman of the Year 2024 by The Voice news magazine, a Pan-African publication based in the Netherlands. According to The Voice, the title was bestowed on the Mayor for her tireless dedication to improving the lives of her fellow citizens. In a statement, the organisers of the award said: “Mayor Lowe, known for her hard work, intelligence, and servant leadership, has made significant strides in transforming Banjul, setting a benchmark for good governance. Her efforts have earned her this recognition for enhancing the quality of life in her city and contributing to the Gambia’s progress on the global stage.”

Mayor Lowe’s numerous roles, including President of the Local Elected Women in Africa (REFELA), Vice President of the Global Parliament of Mayors (GPM), and Second Vice President of the United Democratic Party (UDP) in the Gambia, reflect her broad impact.

Rohey Malick Lowe was born in 1971 in Banjul, then known as Bathurst. Her father, Alhagie Malick Lowe, was mayor of Banjul from 1981 to 1983. In 2012, she moved to Europe and studied international relations at the University of Falun in Sweden. Lowe returned to The Gambia in 2017 and was a founding member of the centrist United Democratic Party. She was elected Mayor of Banjul in May 2018. Lowe defeated eight other candidates including incumbent Abdoulie Bah and another woman, Lizzie Eunson, a banker who ran as an Independent.

More recently, Mayor Lowe has campaigned against domestic and sexual violence against women. The ‘Gambia Says More’ was launched in January 2024 by the representatives of the Commonwealth and the Gambian government in the presence of the Mayor and other attendees from the Gambia and several other African countries.

The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, urged everyone to take responsibility for making homes places of safety for women and girls, adding: “That is the only way we can achieve peace in our communities, countries and the world.” She also commended the work of the NO MORE Foundation, which has been working in partnership with the Commonwealth Secretariat to create a world where there is no more domestic and sexual violence.

In the Gambia, one in three women experience sexual or physical violence in their lifetime. The abuse remains largely unreported due to impunity, silence, stigma and fear. In recent years, the Gambia has introduced a range of measures to strengthen the protection of women and girls, including specialist domestic abuse courts and a national gender-based violence helpline.

While the country is strengthening the protection of women, the LGBT community still faces discrimination and persecution. Consensual same-sex activity for both men and women continues to be illegal. In a statement, published in February 2023, the UK Home Office (Interior Ministry), writes the Gambia continues to be a culturally and religiously conservative society where discriminatory attitudes and low tolerance of LGBT persons persist. However, since President Adama Barrow took power in 2017 there have been some improvements in the general human rights environment, with considerably fewer persecutions.

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