• Mrs. Minata Samate Cessouma, AU Commissioner of Political Affairs,
• Mrs. Ahunna Eziakonwa, Assistant Secretary General and UNDP Director for Africa,
• AU Commissioners,
• Mrs. Bineta Diop, AU Special Envoy on Women Peace and Security,
• Dr. Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, UN Under-Secretary-General and UN Women Executive Director,
• Mrs. Bience GAWANAS, UN Under-Secretary-General, Special Adviser on Africa to the United Nations Secretary-General,
• Distinguished Panelists,
• Ladies and Gentlemen,

On behalf of the Chairperson of the African Union Commission, allow me to welcome you all and commend the initiative taken by the African Women Leaders Network to hold tthis High-Level Virtual Forum on Women in Governance and Political Participation: Enhancing African Women’s Role in Leadership: Leveraging Women’s Leadership in the COVID-19 Response and Beyond.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

My experience growing up taught me very early that the African woman has always been particularly resourceful in managing homes, under generally difficult conditions. So it is a mystery to me why our women have not been in charge of managing our nations. That being said, it is heartening to note that progress has been made in terms of women’s political participation and representation in some AU Member States. For example,

• Rwanda, to her credit, has the highest number of women parliamentarians in Africa, followed by South Africa, Namibia, Senegal, Mozambique, Ethiopia and Tanzania, in that order.
• The composition of the new Ethiopian government is another good example with a cabinet of 50/50 men and women, and a President who is a very distinguished lady.
• Africa also has an experienced pool of former female Presidents, Acting Heads of States, Deputy/ Vice-Presidents and former Prime Ministers.
• Many countries have also appointed women to strategic political portfolios such as, Ministers of Defense and Minister of Peace in Ethiopia, again the only one in Africa today.
• The election of H.E. Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma as the first female Chairperson of the African Union Commission in 2012 was a major milestone in more than 50 years of existence of the OAU/AU.

These advances, all commendable developments, give credence to the recognition of the critical role of women in socio-political processes and dynamics. Participation of women in decision-making results in concrete improvement of the lives of all citizens – women tend to bring some extra qualities to the table.

Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Progress has been made. But much more remains to be done.

To date, there is only one female Head of State in Africa – H.E The President of the Federal Republic of Ethiopia, our distinguished sister, H.E. Sahle Work Zewdu.

Recent statistics from the International Parliamentary Union show that only 23.4% of Africa’s parliamentarians are female.

Women are also poorly represented in ministerial positions. Only 12 countries have more than one third of female ministers.

African countries are lag behind in gender parity in public service, executive positions, the judiciary and private sector leadership. Women’s leadership and representation in public and private sector decision-making bodies is still unacceptably low.

Furthermore, this contrasting representation of women leaders goes hand in hand with continuous existing discrimination and sexist behaviors, not excluding gender-based violence. The differences in salaries between women and men leaders as well as the violence suffered by women candidates in national or local elections are an uncomfortable reminder of what work still remains to be done.

Ladies and Gentlemen,
All these have been rendered more complicated by the COVID19 Pandemic.

The COVID19 Pandemic has worsened these discrepancies. African women leaders, as indeed all women, are in the frontline in the fight to address this crisis. Most of them are embedded in national and local Rapid Response Units established to stop the spread of the pandemic. They are working closely with communities at local levels for dissemination, domestication and implementation of measures recommended by World Health Organization – including in fragile and conflict-affected environments.

However, the critical role of women in this very specific situation is not yet fully acknowledged and a gender-based response to the pandemic is yet to be developed.

Violence against women is already an epidemic. A number of our women are killed every day across the continent. Living in confinement and in times of economic stress can also increase the risk of sexual exploitation and violence against women.

Failing to consider gender dimensions in the response to the pandemic will not only exacerbate existing inequalities, but also create new ones for women.

Your Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen;
The launching of the Three-year Action Plan on Women in Governance and Political Participation: Enhancing African Women’s Role in Leadership by the African Women Leaders Network is, therefore, more than timely. It is an idea whose time has come. And no force on earth can stop it.

All of which make one confident that today’s forum and the newest Action Plan will generate greater technical and financial support for women’s leadership and the women’s movement across Africa – including combatting the COVID-9 Pandemic and other similar emergencies, building on the remarkable gains of the past few years.

I now have the honour to declare open the High-level Virtual Forum on Women in Governance and Political Participation: Enhancing African Women’s Role in Leadership.

Thank you.