Women’s Power in Ethiopia

Ahmed Abiy is welcomed in Eritrea

In Ethiopia the Democratic Unity Party ruled the country for quite a long time. During this time the opposition was oppressed, and the protests of young Ethiopians were suppressed. But the anger of the young people couldn’t be suppressed in the long run. Last year’s election of Abiy Ahmed as the new prime minister brought a surprising change: He has accelerated a radical reform programme that is overturning politics in Ethiopia. He has ended a state of emergency imposed to quell widespread unrest. The government is becoming more democratic and more female politicans are in the cabinet.

A wind of change in Ethiopia

Sahle-Work Zewde

Since the election in 2018, exactly half of all ministries are headed by women, which is unprecedented in this once patriarchal country. The highlight: since the end of last year, a woman has been at the top of the new government: Sahle-Work Zewde. She was unanimously elected the country’s first president. Does she have the most power in the country? Not really, the Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has it. Sahle-Work Zewde’s main task is to represent. As President of Ethiopia, she is the first woman to hold the office. She will increase the influence of women on the destiny of the country and its peoples.

Freedom in Ethiopia and peace in East Africa

Muferiat Kamil, Ethiopian Ministry of Peace

Sahle-Work Zewde is supported by a number of female politicians, because half of the cabinet is occupied by women. This concentrated women’s power will ensure that much will change in Ethiopia in favour of women and girls. They now decide on the military, the police and the secret service. This is new in Africa and for the whole world. Muferiat Kamil heads the newly created Ministry for Peace, which will become a super ministry, responsible for police and secret services. The government thus acclaims the outstanding role of women in the search for peace and the reconciliation between the various parties and ethnic groups in the country.

Will Ethiopia become a better place for women and girls?

Female politicians in Ethiopia want to promote equal rights, improve education for girls and end female circumcision, which has been already abolished but still is practiced. For Toyba Ibrahim, a 20-year-old student, the future looks mixed, especially because women in Ethiopia have not been treated equally in the past. They played no role in education, business or politics. The fact that a female President has been appointed gives her courage:

“Our mothers and grandmothers really suffered in the past, equal rights for women was a foreign word. But especially after the recent changes, I hope that life will be better for women. Political decisions make me believe that we will have the same opportunities as men in the future”.

The team of africa4teens wishes Sahle-Work Zewde and her colleagues the very best in making Ethiopia a better place for girls and women.