AU commends Uganda for handing women leadership positions

Uganda is among the top 10 countries on the continent that have made progress in ensuring that women are represented in Parliament, the African Union(AU) says.

The AU notes that the country has attained 35% female representation in parliament, beyond the set target of 30%.

However, Rwanda is leader with 63.8% of women in its national parliament.  The rest are Seychelles (43.8%), Senegal (42.7%), South Africa (42%), Namibia (41%), Mozambique (39.60%), Ethiopia (38,8), Angola (36.8%), Burundi (36.4%) and Uganda at 35%.

In her International Women's day message, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, the chairperson of the African Union Commission said: "More women are exercising leadership in politics and business; and we have witnessed a transformation of women's participation in public life."

Echoing this year's theme "A Pledge for Gender Equality," Zuma added: "This year, being the African Union Year of Human Rights with a specific focus on the Rights of Women, provides yet another opportunity to celebrate African women, while also highlighting issues of concern, such as persistent gender inequalities that hinder women from fully enjoying their human rights."

Rebecca Kadaga is the speaker of Uganda's parliament.

She was, however, quick to observe that although great strides have been made to redress the gender imbalances, it was not time to sit back.

"A lot more still needs to be done by both African women and men of goodwill to dismantle the gender barriers and ensure that African women's potential is realised," Zuma said.

"As you know, women are key contributors to global economies and play a critical role in the development of their societies.

"Without the equal and effective participation of women in all spheres of socio-political and economic life, the vision of agenda 2063 might not be realized," she added.