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Why does West Africa have so few women in politics?

Three women in the region talk about the obstacles they’ve faced in their political careers

During the last election, 44 % of seats in Senegal’s parliament were occupied by women, making it the parliament with the largest percentage of women in West Africa.

Amongst the countries with the lowest number of women represented- under 15%- are The Gambia, Ghana, Liberia, Benin and Sierra Leone. And according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, Nigeria, has just 13 women amongst 360 members of its House of Representatives.

So what’s stopping more women in West Africa from getting involved in politics? To understand the challenges, Alan Kasujja spoke to three women from Nigeria, Ghana and Liberia about their political careers.

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18 minutes

Podcast