By The Forum

Africa has had 23 women serve as heads of state: some elected, others stepping in after incumbents left office early. Malawi’s Joyce Banda (2012 – 2014) and Tanzania’s Samia Suluhu Hassan (2021 – present) both rose from the vice presidency after the deaths of Bingu wa Mutharika and Pombe Magufuli. In December 2024, Namibia elected its first female president, only the country’s fifth since independence in 1990.

And what has happened since? President Hassan opened Tanzania to investors, restored global confidence, and showed what competent, reform-minded leadership can look like.

Now Banda is back in the ring, running for president once again. Women’s issues, among others, will be her focus. And if elected, she says, that commitment won’t end at the ballot box.

The question is: will Malawians take her seriously?

Banda argues what should be obvious by now, that women are key to national development. Yet the policies that shape lives at the grassroots are still written mostly by men. “It should be women at the bottom who dictate those policies,” says Banda.

The Women’s Manifesto Movement agrees. They’ve endorsed Banda, pointing to the chronic gender imbalance in Malawi’s politics. The Gender Equality Act calls for a 60-40 split in public representation. But Parliament has never even come close. The high-water mark? Just 23% in 2019.

The problem isn’t lack of talent. It’s the system. This year alone, several high-profile women were knocked out in party primaries — either boxed out by internal politics or forced to go it alone as independents. The former head of the Malawi Electoral Commission, Jane Ansah, lost in Ntcheu. In Lilongwe, former First Lady Callista Mutharika and current Cabinet Minister Vera Kamtukule were also shown the door.

Why? Party structures that favor men. Shadowy delegate lists. Unclear nomination fees. Is it not a boys’ club mentality dressed up as democracy?

Malawi can’t keep sidelining half the population and expect progress. Women aren’t asking for charity. They’re demanding space and offering leadership.

Let’s not miss the moment again.

It’s time.