Sierra Leone’s Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, Dr. Isata Bendu Mahoi, recently participated in the 68th session of the Commission on the State of Women (CSW) at the UN headquarters in New York. She shared insights with Africa Renewal’s Kingsley Ighobor on her empowerment initiatives, the challenges she faces as a political figure, and her message to young women across Africa. The following are excerpts from the interview:
Africa Renewal: What best practices you would you like to share with other countries regarding your government’s work to empower women?
Dr. Mahoi: Everybody knows what we have been through in Sierra Leone—war, Ebola, landslides, flooding, and more. In all these, women suffered the most but we have picked ourselves up. Our focus now is ensuring that women’s empowerment is at the centre of development.
We have ratified numerous international agreements such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, also known as the Maputo Protocol, and the Beijing Declaration, and so on. So, we are on course in domesticating these treaties and implementing our mandates and obligations as a country.
On the domestic front, we have enacted many gender-related laws such as the Devolution of Estates Act, 2007; the Domestic Violence Act of 2007; and the Customary Marriage and Divorce Act of 2009. For me, these are outdated laws, even though they were steps in the right direction at the time.
In the last few years, we reviewed some of those laws and are trying to address existing gaps. For example, in 2019, we reviewed the Sexual Offenses Act of 2012, to impose stiffer punishments on perpetrators of sexual violence. President Julius Maada Bio demonstrated his passion for the well-being of women by declaring in 2019 a State of Emergency over rape and sexual violence.
We established a Sexual Offences Model Court to try cases of sexual violence against minors and impose stiff punishment. Those cases are now fast-tracked. We enacted the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act(GEWE), in 2022, to reaffirm our commitment to the empowerment of women and girls. We also have the Customary Land Rights Act, which guarantees women the right to own, hold, use, and inherit land.
All these efforts are translating into tangible results. Currently, our parliament boasts an increased representation of women, with 42 out of 149 Members of Parliament. It used to be much lower than that. The number of women serving as Cabinet ministers has increased from five to 10, in addition to 11 female deputy ministers.
How is the implementation of the gender equality and women’s empowerment law progressing?
As I mentioned earlier, we have had an increase in the number of female MPs, as well as an increase in the number of female Cabinet ministers and their deputies. This trend extends to other appointments to leadership positions by the President, with other levels of government and political parties following suit.
My ministry advocates for laws, policies, and strategies that foster women’s empowerment to be fully implemented. As a result, we have established the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Secretariat within our ministry, with support from the World Bank. They have recruited a consultant and other staff to monitor the gender-related activities of government ministries, departments, and agencies.
UN Women has supported the training of gender focal units within the ministries. These units will gather data for a report that will be published by the end of 2024. We are using the UN’s management and accountability framework for that report. UN Women enlisted a specialist to help us develop the accountability tool with indicators— Indicators such as, if the President goes to a foreign country or a conference, did he mention anything about gender? Did he talk about women’s economic empowerment?
Do you have programmes for financial inclusion that benefit women?
Yes. Our government, through the Bank of Sierra Leone, launched what we call the Munafa Fund, to foster financial inclusion, with a focus on women engaged in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Through this fund, women can access loans from commercial banks with low interest rates.
How did you manage to secure the cooperation of the commercial banks for this initiative?
As you know, the central bank regulates many aspects of commercial banking. So, there were negotiations and engagements. We will soon launch a World Bank financial inclusion project targeting women. The National Commission for Social Action (NACSA) also recently launched a financial inclusion initiative that has been piloted in some districts. Through this initiative, women can access loans with minimal interest rates.
Generally, is the private sector involved in your programmes?
We have started engaging with the private sector. We want to see the outcome for this first year from within the government setting then we will extend our effort to the private sector. Nevertheless, my ministry is already engaging with the private sector to gauge the level of female employment and the roles women occupy. Through these interactions, we aim to underscore the significance of promoting women to leadership and decision-making positions.
How is the Customary Land Rights Act helping women?
Initially, some women could not own land although they were allowed to have joint ownership, with their husbands, or other family members like brothers. When a father died and you want to decide who gets ownership of the land, a female child did not have a right to any property. Now, all that is changing, because without women having land ownership, economic empowerment will be fragile. We now have laws that allow women to own land and property.
Are you seeing tangible results from all your efforts to combat violence against women, including sexual violence?
Yes, we are seeing results, although we need to push a little bit more to achieve our desired outcomes. Since our interventions, a lot of changes have taken place. Previously, people were afraid to report rape cases, especially within the family or community settings due to fear of stigma. People now feel more confident to report such incidents.
In the past, reporting a family member for rape could lead to being considered an outcast. However, with interventions from the government, civil society organizations,, and development partners, people are beginning to understand that rape is a matter of public concern.
The limited access to services for those residing in remote or hard-to-reach communities is a challenge. To address this, we have established One-Stop Centres in hospitals in various districts and have also implemented a toll-free hotline where people can reach out to service providers.
As a woman navigating a male-dominated political field, what challenges do you encounter?
It’s a bit of a challenge when some men are only now coming to terms with the fact that women are their equals. Sometimes, men think they alone can do it. But that’s not the case. We have strong women who need the opportunity and space to work. We have been marginalized for far too long.
These days, we talk about positive masculinity. By viewing ourselves as partners in development rather than rivals, we foster inclusivity and collaboration. Once you change the stereotypical way of thinking, you’ll bring everybody together. Initiatives such as the Male Engagement Strategy launched in 2020 and the upcoming Real Man campaign will help us cultivate male champions who support our work.
What is your idea of success by the end of your tenure in your current role?
I want to introduce innovative strategies that empower women to seize opportunities. I also aim to ensure we eliminate barriers that hinder women’s progress and ensure equal access to resources and opportunities.
I aspire to catch our young people during their university years, providing mentorship and guidance to nurture them into confident and empowered individuals. I want to see Sierra Leone where women no longer need to beg or negotiate for their rights.
What is your final message to young people, particularly young women, in Africa
Remain resilient and assertive. Take your seat at the table with determination. Reject the influence of drugs. Let’s nurture a generation of tech-savvy youth ready to drive transformative change in Africa.
