EJS Center Data Hub on Women
in Public Leadership in Africa
Increasing women’s leadership in public governance has been shown to result in robust governance institutions and inclusive public policy. To increase the number of women in public leadership and advocate for greater representation, it is crucial to gain a better understanding of the current situation.
To this end, we track women’s leadership in public governance in Africa, and present our findings through our interactive map, our collection of blog articles and our country-level snapshots.
Mapping women in public leadership in Africa
Zoom in to see more details. Drag to move around.
Hover over each country to get quick statistics on women’s representation in the nation’s Executive, Legislature and Judiciary.
Hover over each color of the Legend to see which countries sit in each category of the Ibrahim Index of African Governance (IIAG) score for Political Power and Representation of Women*.
Country Analyses
Constitutional Reform or Democratic Retreat? Why Zimbabwe’s Amendment Bill Imperils Women’s Political Participation
Constitutions are living documents. As societies evolve, governance frameworks often require adjustment to respond to new political, social, and institutional realities. Zimbabwe’s Constitution Amendment (No. 3) Bill, currently under consideration
Tanzania’s First Female President: Progress or Setback for Women’s Political Leadership in Africa?
On October 29, 2025, Tanzania voted for a president and members of the National Assembly. Following the passing of President John Magufuli in 2021, Vice President Samia Suluhu Hassan took
The Truth About Women in Cameroonian Politics: Overlooked or Underrepresented?
On October 12, Cameroonians headed to the polls for the 2025 presidential election. Cameroon, where half of the population is under 30, is led by the world’s oldest president. Over
After Chad’s Transition, What Future for Gender Parity?
Chad marked a significant step in concluding its political transition with National Assembly elections held on December 29, 2024. Following these elections, women now occupy 34% of the seats in
Reflecting on Gender Parity After Senegal’s Big Election Year
Senegal stands out on the African continent, ranking fifth for the highest share of women in parliament, with over 40% female representation. However, the landscape of gender parity in Senegalese
Will Ghana’s Upcoming Elections Close the Gender Gap?
Ghanaians will head to the polls tomorrow to elect a new President and legislature for a four-year term. With incumbent President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo ineligible for re-election after two
Could Namibia elect its first female President?
With 80.5% of its gender gap closed, Namibia ranks in the top 10 of the latest Global Gender Gap Report and is Africa’s best performer. The country has a remarkable
Mauritius: Progress and Challenges for Women in Politics
In June 2015, Mauritius marked a historic moment when a woman acting president transferred power to a woman elected president. Nearly a decade has passed since Ameenah Gurib-Fakim became President
Women in Leadership: Mozambique’s Journey Toward Equality
Only 15 countries in the world have achieved gender parity in their cabinets. Since 2022, Mozambique is among the few with at least 50% of cabinet ministers being women. The
Tunisia: From Progressive Gender Reforms to Declining Gender Parity
Tunisia is an interesting example of a pioneer country which introduced its first gender quota at a time when many African nations were still going through political instability and gender
#SADecides2024: Is Progress on Women’s Representation in South Africa Stalling?
South Africa consistently ranks among the top 10 countries for women’s representation in Cabinet positions and top 20 in the national legislature globally. However, this year, following a historic election
The Silent Half: Why Women Remain Absent in Algerian Elections
20 years ago, Hanoune made history as the first woman to run for president in Algeria, and she remains the only woman to have done so. This raises important questions:
2024 Rwanda Elections: Where do women stand?
Widely regarded as a champion nation of gender equality in political representation, Rwanda is the country with the highest representation of women in the national legislature. Women make up more
Country Snapshots
Algeria
Despite existing gender quotas, Algeria is one of the countries with the lowest representation of women in the national legislature in Africa and globally.
Angola
Angola’s current vice-president is a woman but the country is yet to have a woman president. Women make up nearly 40% of Angola’s National Assembly. Women also occupy approximately 30% of the seats in the governement and the highest courts.
Benin
Women in Benin represent only 27% of the parliament and 25% of the cabinet. The country is yet to have a woman president.
Botswana
Botswana is yet to have a woman president. Women’s representation in the government and the parliament remains low. The Ibrahim Index of African Governance ranks Botswana first for socioeconomic opportunity for women.
Burkina Faso
Burkina Faso is yet to have a woman president. Women currently represent only 11% of the cabinet ministers in the transitional governement and 18% of the members of the Transitional Legislative Assembly.
Burundi
In Burundi, women make up 41% of the Senate and 38% of the National Assembly. They also hold one third of the ministerial positions. Burundi had one woman prime minister who also served as acting president.
Cabo Verde
In Cabo Verde, women occupy one third of the ministerial positions and over 40% of the parliamentary seats. The country is yet to have a woman president.
Cameroon
In Cameroon, women make up one third of both the National Assembly and the Senate. Only one in six cabinet ministers is a woman. The country is yet to have a woman president.
Central African Republic
Despite a quota requiring at least 35% of women candidates for legislative elections, Central African Republic only has 11.4% of women in the National Assembly. Between 2014 and 2016, the country had a woman interim president.
Chad
In its history, Chad has never had a woman president nor a woman prime minister. Women’s representation remains low in the cabinet but has increased in parliament in recent years, with women now occupying over one third of the parliamentary seats.
Comoros
In Comoros, women represent only 5 of the 33 members of parliament and 2 of the 15 cabinet ministers. The country is also yet to have a woman president and to adopt parliamentary gender quotas.
Congo Republic
Congo is yet to have a woman president. Women currently make up 15% of the National Assembly and 32% of the Senate. They also hold 22% of the ministerial positions.
Côte d'Ivoire
In Côte d’Ivoire, despite an existing gender quota requiring at least 30% of women on electoral lists for both houses, women make up only 13% of the National Assembly and 24% of the Senate. The country is yet to have a woman president.
Djibouti
Women currently hold 26.2% of the seats in Djibouti’s National Assembly and the country is yet to have a woman president.
DR Congo
DR Congo’s current prime minister is a woman and the country is yet to have a woman president. There is no gender quota in place at the moment.
Egypt
In Egypt, women currently make up only 28% of the House of the Representatives and 14% of the Senate. They also represent 4 out of 30 cabinet ministers. The country is yet to have a woman president.
Equatorial Guinea
In Equatorial Guinea, women represent only 5% of the cabinet ministers. Women also make up 31% of the Chamber of Deputies and 25% of the Senate. The country is yet to have a woman president.
Eritrea
Eritrea is yet to have a woman president. Women represent one quarter of the cabinet ministers as of now. The Constitution stipulates that women should make up at least 30% of the National Assembly but there is currently no information available on the number of women in parliament.
Eswatini
Eswatini has had two women deputy prime ministers but is yet to have a woman prime minister. Women occupy respectively 22% and 47% of the seats in the House of Assembly and the Senate. Gender quotas are in place to enforce the election or appointment of women in both chambers.
Ethiopia
Between 2018 and 2024, Ethiopia had a woman president but is yet to have a woman prime minister. The House of People’s Representatives currently seats 482 members, 202 of whom are women while the House of Federation currently seats 145 members, 43 of whom are women.
Gabon
Since the 2023 coup, Gabon is going through a transitional phase and is expected to hold presidential elections in April 2025. Between 2020 and 2023, a woman served as prime minister and later as vice president of Gabon. Following President Bongo’s death in 2009, Gabon also had an acting woman president.
Ghana
Ghana’s current vice-president is a woman and the country is yet to have a woman president. Ghana has a single house - the Parliament - which currently seats 275 members, 40 of whom are women (14.5%). Since July 2024, Ghana has passed an affirmative action gender equality act requiring political parties to progressively achieve gender equality.
Guinea
Women in Guinea currently represent 30% of the members of the Transitional National Council and 22% of the cabinet ministers in the transitional governement. The country is yet to have a woman president.
Guinea-Bissau
Guinea-Bissau has a gender quota requiring at least 36% of women in the National Assembly. However, only 10% of the parliamentary seats are currently occupied by women. The country is yet to have a woman president.
Kenya
Kenya is yet to have a woman president or a woman deputy president. Kenya’s Constitution includes gender quotas for both the National Assembly and the Senate. Currently, women make up 23.3% of the National Assembly and 31.3% of the Senate.
Lesotho
Lesotho is yet to have a woman prime minister. Women currently occupy less than one third of the parliamentary seats and the ministeral positions.
Liberia
Liberia has already had one woman president, one woman acting president and one woman vice-president. However, female representation in Liberia’s legislature remains low.
Libya
Since the civil war that broke out in 2011, Libya is governed by a transitional council and an interim government. Women currently make up only 15% of the cabinet ministers and 16% of the members of the House of the Representatives.
Madagascar
Madagascar has never had a woman president and had one woman prime minister. The National Assembly currently seats 163 members, 26 of whom are women while the Senate currently seats 18 members, 2 of whom are women. Women also represent 42% of the cabinet ministers.
Malawi
Malawi has already had a woman president. Women currently represent only 21% of the parliament but hold more than one third of the ministerial roles.
Mali
In Mali, women currently represent 30% of the members of the Transitional National Council and 19% of the cabinet ministers in the transitional government. The country is yet to have a woman president.
Mauritania
In its history, Mauritania has never had a woman president or prime minister. Mauritania has a single house - the National Assembly - which currently seats 176 members, 41 of whom are women (23.3%).
Mauritius
In its history, Mauritius has never had a woman prime minister and had one woman president and one woman acting president. Mauritius has a single house—the National Assembly—which currently seats 67 members, 12 of whom are women (18%).
Morocco
In Morocco, women currently make up only 24% of the House of Reprensentatives and 12% of the House of Councillors. They also represent 26% of the cabinet ministers. Morocco is yet to have a woman prime minister.
Mozambique
Mozambique’s current prime minister is a woman. The country had another woman prime minister between 2004 and 2010 but is yet to have a woman president. Women’s representation in the cabinet dropped significantly following the 2024 elections. Women however still hold nearly 40% of the National Assembly seats.
Namibia
Currently, both Namibia’s president and vice-president are women. Women’s representation in the National Assembly declined from 50% to 41% following the 2024 elections. On the other hand, women’s representation in the cabinet increased, with women now making more than half of the cabinet ministers.
Niger
Niger has never had a woman president. 24% of the cabinet ministers in the transitional governement are women. The National Assembly was dissolved following the 2023 coup and the country is yet to establish a transitional parliament.
Nigeria
Nigeria has never had a woman president or vice president. Women’s representation in the executive and the legislature remains low. On the other hand, women continue to occupy the highest levels of leadership in the judiciary as Nigeria has had a total of five women Chief justices, including the current one.
Rwanda
With women making up more than 60% of the Chamber of Deputies, Rwanda is the country with the highest
representation of women in its national legislature. Women also hold more than 50% of the seats in the Senate but represent only five out of the 19 cabinet ministers. Half of the justices in Rwanda’s highest court are women, including the Chief Justice. The Ibrahim Index of African Governance ranks Rwanda first for political power & representation of women.
São Tomé and Príncipe
While São Tomé and Príncipe is yet to have a woman president, three women have already served as prime minister. Despite a gender quota set at 40%, the National Assembly currently has only 15% of women members.
Senegal
Senegal has never had a woman president and had two women prime ministers. Senegal has a single house - the National Assembly - which currently seats 165 members, 68 of which are women (41.2%). Senegal has one gender quota which requires candidate lists to have names of men and women candidates on an alternating basis.
Seychelles
Seychelles has never had a woman president nor a woman vice president. Women currently make up 29% of the National Assembly, 33% of the Cabinet and 80% of the highest court.
Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone is yet to have a woman president. Despite a gender quota, less than one parliamentary seat out of three is currently occupied by a woman. Women however represent one third of the cabinet.
Somalia
Somalia has one gender quota which stipulates that women should make up at least 30% of the parliament. However, women currently represent only 19 % of the House of the People and 26 % of the Upper House. Somalia is yet to have a woman president.
South Africa
In South Africa, women hold over 40% of the ministerial roles and parliamentary seats. Four of the nine justices in South Africa’s highest court are women, including the Chief Justice. The country also had two women deputy presidents but is yet to have a woman president.
South Sudan
South Sudan’s Constitution states that women’s representation in the legislative and executive organs shall be at least 25%. Women currently occupy nearly one third of the seats in both the Transitional National Legislative Assembly and the Council of States and nearly one quarter of the Cabinet.
Sudan
Following the 2019 coup d’etat, Sudan’s bicameral parliament was suspended and legislative power is now vested into the Transitional Legislative Council. Information on women’s public leadership is currently not available. The 2019 Constitution stipulates that women should make up at least 40% of the Transitional Legislative Council.
Tanzania
Tanzania’s current president is a woman.The country’s Constitution includes a gender quota set at 30% to enforce female participation in the National Assembly. Women now represent 37.4% of the National Assembly and 18.5% of the cabinet.
The Gambia
While The Gambia has never had a woman president, three women have already served as vice-president. Women’s representation in the National Assembly remains low at 9%. The country is yet to adopt a gender quota.
Togo
Togo is yet to have a woman president. Before the country changed to a parliamentary system, Togo had a woman prime minister. Despite a gender quota, women’s representation in the legislature remains low.
Tunisia
Tunisia’s current prime minister is a woman. The country had another woman prime minister between 2021 and 2023 but is yet to have a woman president. In 2022, Tunisia removed all it’s gender parity provisions and subsequently women’s representation in parliament dropped from 36% to 16%.
Uganda
In its history, Uganda had one woman prime minister and two women vice presidents but is yet to have a woman president. Women currently represent more than one third of the parliamentary representatives and the cabinet ministers and more than half of the justices in Uganda’s highest court.
Zambia
Zambia’s current vice-president is a woman and the country is yet to have a woman president. Women’s representation remains low in the cabinet and in the parliament. Women however represent over 40% of the justices in Zambia’s highest courts.
Zimbabwe
In Zimbabwe, women occupy respectively 30% and 44% of the seats in the National Assembly and the Senate. Women also represent over 40% of the justices in Zimbabwe’s highest courts. Nonetheless, only one in four ministers is a woman. Zimbabwe is yet to have a woman president.
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