By Mabinty M. Kamara
Among the 22 local Councils in Sierra Leone, the Koidu City Council (KCC) recorded the highest number of elected female councilors in the June 2023 General Elections.
The council’s composition is evenly distributed at 50 percent male and 50 percent female. This according to the Information Officer at the Local Government Ministry, Frederick Kanneh is the highest number of women representation in the history of the Council. However, the Kono District Council has only 28% of female elected councilors.
A report by UN Women titled: “How Women Fared in the 2023 General Elections” indicated that women represent 34% of the total number of local councilors in the country.
The report stated that Sierra Leone has a total of 22 Local Councils-16 District and 6 City Councils, and that of the 493 total candidates returned elected, there are 326 males representing 67% and 167 females-34%.
It added that the Southern region recorded a total of 121 elected councilors, with 35% female, the Northern region 101 out of which there are 31% female, Northwest (Total 85) female 32%, Eastern region recorded a total of 116 councilors with 36% female and Western Area 70 councilors with 36% female.
“Both East and Western Regions crossed the GEWE Act mark of 30% and the 35% Affirmative Action Principles from the Beijing Platform for Action,” it noted.
Speaking at a two-day National Conference on Women Participation in the 2023 Elections in Sierra Leone hosted by UN Women, and in which the report was presented on 10th and 11th October this year, at Sierra Palms Hotels in Freetown, Setcheme Jeronime M Mongbo, Head of Office, UN Women lauded Sierra Leone’s progress, in women’s political participation and leadership despite many difficulties and some setbacks.
“I wish to congratulate the Government and People of Sierra Leone for taking the bold step on gender equality. President Julius Maada Bio’s commitment paid off with the signing of The Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (GEWE) Act of 2022,” she said.
She added: “We have all contributed to the outcome of the elections for women. While women are generally underrepresented as voters in most democracies, Sierra Leonean women have the highest number of voters with 52.14% compared to men with 47.91%, according to data released by the Electoral Commission of Sierra Leone.”
She committed that the UN Agency on Women will continue supporting advocacy in legislative and constitutional reforms to ensure women’s fair access to political spheres— as voters, candidates, elected officials, civil service members businesses, etc. “We will continue working as One UN Team and all other stakeholders on programs that uphold women’s rights,” adding that the UN Women will intensify actions, to address the gender imbalances in accessing finance ensuring equal pay and equal capacity-building opportunities to mainstream gender across all sectors.
She said if women in Agriculture and Business are supported, Sierra Leone can easily meet the Feed Salone Agenda; which is a core vision of President Julius Maada Bio.
In his statement at the conference, Enrico Sborgi Policy Manager of European Union Sierra Leone emphasized the need for Sierra Leonean Women’s contribution to the society as a whole given their share of the country’s population.
He also noted that the adoption of the GEWE Act in November 2022 marked a milestone in the advancement of gender equality in Sierra Leone with the introduction of a gender quota.
“That bold affirmative action has translated into positive outcomes and a record number of women MPs elected in Sierra Leone. The percentage of women lawmakers in parliament has more than doubled from the last parliament to the new one. These are clear and important achievements for which we sincerely congratulate Sierra Leone,” he said.
However, he said the Political will to genuinely enhance women's participation in political life was still lacking in the 2023 elections, noting the placement of women in the Political party list as required by the reintroduced Proportional Representation System used to conduct the elections.
“If we observe for instance the placement of women in the lists of candidates for parliamentary elections: only in one district one party list was led by a woman, while all over the country party lists were headed by a man and women were rarely placed in the second position,” he said.
In her keynote address, the Minister of Gender and Children Affairs, Isata Mahoi called for a concerted effort to mitigate violence against women.
“As we move forward, let us collaborate and strive for a Sierra Leone where every voice is heard, every life is valued, and every woman’s contribution is celebrated,” she said.
She added that the country has increased the number of women in leadership positions (elective and appointive) as the first step in the right direction, “but we need to build their capacities to deliver on their respective mandates.”
Copyright © 2023 Politico (13/10/23)
