THE RISE OF WOMEN IN AFRICA Nigeria Appoints First Female Energy Minister
Last April Ghana's troubled international airline hosted its first female pilot on a flight from London Gatwick to Accra Ghana. At the destination of arrival angry passengers demanded to know why the airline which is struggling to stay afloat had risked their lives by engaging a woman pilot. The response from the airline was that the pilot had significant flying experience and was competent to do the job. Although the answer more akin to truth should have been that planes were hired at the least possible costs and included pilots; the response from passengers was: "She is still a woman".
Women are on the rise all over Africa in significant positions. And this is not only due to the corruption and incompetence surrounding the performance of male incumbents over the last fifty years but also because of the good legacy of women in high positions and in power, during this same period. Former Nigerian Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo Iweala was praised for her professionalism, transparency, and brevity, and was highly regarded around the world. Indeed she was made Nigerian of the year in 2006. It was the high esteem and professionalism with which she was associated that also led to her exit from the Nigerian Obasanjo Government. Current President of Liberia, Ellen Sirleaf Johnson, the first ever democratically elected female President is equally regarded.
African women in power are hard-working. They project honesty, clear and good communication skills, intelligence, experience, humour, international diplomacy and integrity. Very few of them are ever associated with corruption, incompetence, violence, tribalism and cronyism. It was therefore not unexpected when Goodluck-Jonathan, acting President of Nigeria, after dismissing the head of the country's national oil company Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo, appointed a former employee of Royal Dutch Shell PLC's Nigerian subsidiary as the country's first female Petroleum Minister. Diezani Allison-Madueke will head Nigeria's Petroleum Ministry. And according to several of the country's daily newspapers, the decision to employ a woman was in part an attempt to "wipe away years of corruption that saw the oil-rich nation struggle to produce power for its 150 million people".
The decision to reform the Government has come at a cost. It is widely believed in Nigeria that the President only has one year to make his changes tell, as the party to which he belongs will deny him the opportunity to represent them as president in the next election. The acting President has also demanded that the 38 new Cabinet members sign public agreements on the duties and responsibilities expected from their ministries. However ministers will be responsible for informing the nation on how they plan to achieve those goals, a show of accountability in a nation long considered among the most corrupt.
Allison-Madueke former Transport Minister, previously worked as a director for the Shell Petroleum Development. Shell struck oil in Nigeria 50 years ago and remains the main force in the national consortium for exploration in the country, though attacks by militants upset by environmental and poor living conditions in the Niger Delta have halved national oil output since 2006. The recent truce in the area is however expected to restore previous production levels.
Other women in the acting President cabinet include Dora Akunyili appointed as Information Minister. It remains to be seen how these women will fare in their current posts and in future presidential elections, the next one expected sometime during the first half of 2011
