ITS TIME TO ENTRENCH WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP AND DEVELOPMENT POSITIONS

For ages, women have been subjected to back seat when leadership and development issues are being discussed. African culture and traditions have disadvantaged women who have been left to perform demanding yet perceived insignificant chores at household levels. Traditionally women were embedded to cook, take care of children, collect firewood and remain submissive and indecisive to their know-all male counterparts. Similarly, men were believed to be God chosen leaders who were bestowed with sole mandate to make decision regarding property ownership, chiefdom and kingdom selection, property acquaintance and disposal and marital decisions such as number of children to be born, number of wives and wife inheritance matters

 

The perception has created man-made vulnerability to women and girls. Some chores continually subject women to otherwise dangerous yet mandatory environments, while collecting firewood, fetching water, attending livestock women have drowned, attacked by wild animals and militia groups causing emotional and bodily harm. Women have been subjected to lesser economic gainful enterprises in patriarchal societies who perceives women contributions as insignificant.

 

The trend seems to change in unprecedented rate as whole world. Women have taken influential and seat in cornerstone on many development and leadership positions. World Super power United States of America has woman vice president Her Excellence Kamala Harris. While Theresa May and Margaret Thatcher held Britain prime minister position in different times. For sixteen years, Angela Markel led Germany.

 

 Africa is not left behind as Ellen Sirleaf Johnson held the helm of Liberia, a leadership which has saw sanity and rule of law back to the country wounded by civil war. Catherine Samba Panza led Central Africa Republic between 2014 and 2016 while Rose Francine Rangombe led Gabon between June and October 2009. Samia Suluhu Hassan took over from Late H.E Dr Magufuli in Tanzania while Sahle Work Zedwe is the current president for Ethiopia.

 

In Kenya women have made remarkable strides from dark past to limelight both in private sector, public leadership and political position. The appointment of Nyiva Mwendwa to cabinet position in 1995 took male chauvinists by surprise but was the beginning of women presence in leadership positions which is now entrenched in the 2010 constitution. Performance of women in leadership position has proofed that they are equal participant with men.

 

In community development front, women have provided the most needed workforce either freely and below market rates. Family farming which feeds over 70% of world population according to World Rural Forum statistics 2013 is most dependent of women labor who toil to ensure their crops are planted in time, weeded and manure applied and taken care from pest and diseases and harvested. In most patriarchal African societies’ men make the decisions while women implement such decisions, a culture which continues to draw back gains made in gender equality. In pastoral communities, women are left to small livestock while men own large livestock, which bring incomes in terms of labor and sells when they are sold. Decisions to own some property and even income by women remain highly influenced by men and thus low homegrown development initiatives in rural communities

 

In recent past women have clustered themselves in self run and regulated micro finance initiatives which have offered much needed and deserving source of income in rural areas. These initiatives have seen women be able to afford household items such as cooking wear, school uniform for their children and school fees, access to better health and more regular and nutritious meals to their families. Through loans and financials savings from their groups’ (chamas’) women are able to start business and earn income and decent lives.

 

Women play important roles in all aspects of development, due to their closeness to nature, while proving for the families, women have very sound mindset in environmental conservation which has seen many women take lead in rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems.   For any community, be it in developed countries, developing, war torn regions, rural or urban to realize sustainable development, women need to be placed in their right positions as the current trend has proven that they can do what men have done and even in better. Previous closed opportunities for women need to be availed to them so that they can optimize their contribution in nation building.

 

Article by

 

Andrew Muendo Nyamu

Young Africa Leaders Initiative (YALI) fellow 2018

Project Coordinator, Coastal Livelihood and Environment Management

Plan International

Email: nyamu1895@gmail.com