AFRICA: Women Leaders: Africa's Available, Yet Underutilized Resource

My maternal grandfather's mantra was, “Educate a woman, and you feed and educate her family.” He educated his daughters when Nigerian fathers rarely did. My grandfather was also very interested in my education and often questioned me about it. It is a shame his passion for educating women is not emulated by some African governments.

In Nigeria, as in much of Africa, women are the greatest underutilized resource. As a continent of developing countries, African governments are not effectively advancing women's skills even though women constitute roughly 50 percent of the population.

As former Nigerian anti-corruption leader, Nuhu Ribadu, states, "Educating women is the key because the impact women make is broader than men's. In Nigeria, female education and career development has not been harnessed effectively.” It is surprising that African governments do not prioritize women's advancement when countries promoting gender workforce parity have greater human resource capabilities and are more prosperous.

Women's leadership is a sensitive subject. Due to patriarchal cultures, where women are subtly or blatantly deemed second-class citizens, it is a man's world in many African countries. Western education, wealth, and powerful alliances have allowed some women, including Liberian President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf, to escape this reality. While they are cited as evidence of African female leadership and equality, they are a minority and much change is still needed to promote women's leadership.

Illiteracy and semi-illiteracy, unequal educational opportunities, the belief that marriage is a woman's ultimate goal, the lack of nurturing and encouraging support systems, and few female role models to emulate, all affect women's self-worth and aspirations for leadership. Women are often in allied roles such as wives, campaigners, and event planners for powerful men instead of being the leaders themselves. Hopefully, as they see more female leaders, they will realize this is attainable for them too.

Some African countries are slowly modernizing via direct selection, quota systems, political appointments and institutional integration. Recently, Colonel Birame Diop, Director of the African Institute for Security Sector Transformation, discussed the Senegalese Army's integration process, which is one way Senegalese women are being integrated into the workforce and subsequent leadership roles. While Diop believes women's inclusion is valuable - referencing the efficiency of Israel's dual gender army as an example - he notes the challenges and the need to embrace women's predispositions to ensure effective skill utilization.

Families often do not invest heavily in daughters because they will marry and become members of their husbands' families. Whether implied or overt, the perception is that a woman's place, regardless of her accomplishments, is in the home cooking, procreating, and caring for the family. At the same time, economic realities are not allowing many women to remain housewives. Unfortunately, as Col. Diop states, many women still do not fully utilize their potential.

Women who do become leaders are often single – a status that is viewed negatively in many parts of Africa. It is believed that some women avoid leadership positions to stay home or become married instead of being branded as an unrespectable single women. Many men, also, demand subordinate wives.

My grandfather's unwavering though unpopular commitment to educating his daughters led to their full education. Their education gave them confidence, self-sufficiency, independence and equality with their brothers. They have all passed on their father's education legacy to their daughters, for which I am grateful.

Women are not taught to be effective communicators, good decision makers, and leaders. Education and empowerment are the basis of success. To modernize and compete, governments and NGOs should fund women's education to make it more accessible, and punish those that hinder this education.

In some countries, quotas are being used to ensure that women are in the workplace, educational institutions, and the government. Rwanda's Paul Kagame decreed 53 percent female parliamentarian participation, and Senegal's President Abdoulaye Wade deems political gender parity necessary, because without forcing women's inclusion, it will not happen. When both genders are represented, their unique issues, attributes, predispositions, and sensitivities are equally represented.

Role modeling is necessary to help young women navigate the environment and learn what leadership requires. When female leaders openly share their successes and challenges, women will learn they can do anything they put their minds to, they need not defer or acquiesce to men, and that they should not give up easily when facing challenges.

As Ribadu says, “Nigerian women are often abused and exploited.” I believe that having African women in leadership positions is essential because it will improve perceptions of women's roles and power, and reduce the negative ways women are treated, including gender-based violence and discrimination.

In Nigeria, due to the ascendance of some women to high-level leadership positions, things are changing. Women such as Ngozi Okonjo Iweala, Oby Ezekwesili, Dora Akunyili, and Olubunmi Etteh, have set a precedent. Their achievements are because of their education, exposure to modern culture, and work experience.

While realizing and embracing gender differences, Africans should be sensitized and socialized to value women by assisting in the creation of societies that promote women's personal and professional growth.
This can be accomplished through education, mentorship, and advocating for women's rights. Women can then learn that it is their right to choose their destinies and develop to their full leadership potential. Subsequently, with more women in leadership positions, they will add to their countries' productivity and prosperity.