Women from the various women in governance networks established by SEND SL predominantly in the Northern Province of the country have shared their experiences about the growth of women’s participation in governance processes in the region.
The north is traditionally known for its hostile nature to women’s leadership.
Mankie Tejan from Koinadugu District is the leader of the Koinadugu Women’s Group and the President of the Koinadugu Women in Governance Network. She confirmed that the district is deeply rooted in traditions and customs that undermine women’s empowerment but they have been working on some of those issues already and breaking barriers.
“In recent times we have some of our Paramount Chiefs who are really creating the platform for young women like us to participate. They have also given us an audience as we advocate for more leadership positions starting with the lower levels. As for us in Koinadugu in the Wara Wara Yagala Chiefdom, we have a female Town Chief now. We are also advocating and looking forward to having a female Section Chief. All thanks to the support from SEND SL and their partners,” she said.
Mankie further noted that one of the areas they need support is to identify female aspirants and provide capacity building for them since identifying an aspirant without the capacity to run for office would create no impact.
“If I want to go for office I need to know what I’m going for. I need to check myself, all that involves capacity building. So the capacity building is very key,” she noted.
She further called for the full implementation of the Public Elections Act 2022, indicating she is sure that with its implementation the participation of women in politics will increase.
According to Mankie, Koinadugu District has never had a female Member of Parliament (MPs) but that is a barrier they are trying to break. On the issue of the gender bill in Parliament, she expressed disappointment that according to their MPs, the possibility for that bill to be passed into law is very slim.
Sharing her experience as a former political aspirant, Isata Kamara from the Tonkolili District Council says although she has always been with her people when it comes to time for the award of symbols she has always been discriminated against.
“I did not just opt for the symbol of my party to serve my people; I was with my people and that is key to having the party symbol. I was doing a lot of things for my people but when I opted for the symbol I was discriminated against because they say I am not married and I do not have money. However, I persevered and opted for the symbol again. Many men said several uncomplimentary things about me but I was focused on achieving my goals. I may not have succeeded in getting the symbol to run for councilor but in 2023 I am aspiring to run for member of Parliament for my constituency,” she vowed confidently.
Isata believes it is time for them as women to achieve their 30% goal and calls on women to support each other despite their political party leanings.
“If you have good intentions trust me God will help you. Don’t say because people have spoken and criticised you, you will abandon your dream of running for political office. I always believe God is with me and will help me achieve my plans. We have our donor partners that are supporting us, so let us make use of the opportunity,” she encouraged her colleagues.
Madam Hajaratu is a network governance woman in Port Loko; she said their dream is the same as that of SEND SL which is to see women empowered and included in all leadership positions in the country. She is optimistic that in 2023 they will see more women in governance, indicating that women have a role to play.
“It is not only about taking up political office, you should be a community developer, if you don’t want to do anything in your community nobody will entrust leadership in your hands,” she said and called on her colleague women to have integrity, self-confidence and be consistent.
Other women in governance network members from the South and Eastern parts of the country confirmed that women in politics indeed face very great challenges, including lack of adequate resources to challenge their male counterparts, inadequate support from female folks, and lack of required capacity, among others.
However, they expressed gratitude that SEND-SL and its partners have come a long way in bridging the gap. They appeal to women to come out in their numbers and be part of the ongoing registration process as that is the first step to becoming leaders.
