Africa has been heralded as having made the most legislative progress for women. Some countries have enacted specific laws aimed at promoting gender equality, including ensuring the promotion of women in decision-making structures and equal pay for work. There is a growing number of law firms where the ratio of female partners is today at 8 women: 7 men, and more and more women are founding ground-breaking legal tech start-ups. However, the extent to which laws are enforced can vary and there are still many challenges women in law face and many challenges women face more widely because of the law.
On International Women’s Day 2021, we are delighted to announce the launch of Afriwise’s online women in law page. Here you will be able to find interviews with women lawyers from across Afriwise’s network. We look forward speaking with many more women in law across the continent over the coming months.
Ghana
According to the World Bank’s Women, Business and Law 2021 index, when it comes to constraints on freedom of movement, laws affecting women’s decisions to work, and constraints related to marriage, Ghana gets a perfect score.
However, when it comes to laws affecting women's pay, laws affecting women's work after having children, constraints on women's starting and running a business, gender differences in property and inheritance, and laws affecting the size of a woman's pension, the report indicates that Ghana could consider reforms to improve legal equality for women.
According to UN Women data, as of February 2019, there are only 13.1% of parliament seats held by women.
NanaAma Botchway
Afriwise asked: How is your firm leading the way in diversity and gender equality? 08 March 2021
At N. Dowuona & Company gender equality is a core value upon which the firm was founded. It is part of our institutional DNA. We have no glass ceiling and for those who work hard and smart, the sky is the limit at N. Dowuona & Company. We believe that gender parity is central to building a thriving organization and we have parity in opportunity, pay, promotions, policy and more.
Our commitment to equality extends to our clients. We recently announced Launchpad; a program providing predominantly women owned SMEs with affordable legal services, providing a legal foundation to enable them to continue to grow. By working side-by-side with these entrepreneurs, we help them to better position themselves for financing and ultimately for growth.
NanaAma Botchway is the founder of N. Dowuona & Company. She is ranked as a leading lawyer in Legal 500, Chambers & Partners, and the International Financial Law Review. She has advised on numerous significant investments and divestments in Ghana and in other parts of Africa.
Kenya
Only 29% of women in Kenya between the ages of 15 and 49 are empowered, according to the new Kenya Women’s Empowerment Index. The study, developed by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics in partnership with the State Department for Gender, UN Women and UNICEF, is “the first comprehensive and systematic measure” for women’s and girls’ empowerment in Kenya.
Kenya ranks 109 out of the 153 countries in the Global Gender Gap Report 2020 with 0.671, and significant inequalities between males and females in education attainment, health outcomes, representation in parliament and participation in the labour market remain low.
According to the World Bank’s Women, Business and Law 2021 index, when it comes to constraints on freedom of movement, laws affecting women’s decisions to work, laws affecting women’s pay, and constraints related to marriage, Kenya gets a perfect score. However, when it comes to laws affecting women's work after having children, constraints on women starting and running a business, gender differences in property and inheritance, and laws affecting the size of a woman's pension, the report indicates that Kenya could consider reforms to improve legal equality for women.
Women make up 46% of Afriwise’s contributing authors in Kenya.
Cindy Oraro is a partner at Oraro & Company Advocates, an Afriwise contributing firm . She specialises in energy, infrastructure, natural resources, PPP and projects.
Cindy Oraro
Afriwise asked: How is your firm leading the way in diversity and gender equality? 08 March 2021
At Oraro & Company Advocates, we are deeply committed to providing equal opportunity and enhancing diversity across the board. To this end, we have employees from various backgrounds and ethnic groups in Kenya. We have strived to create a system that is not only merit-based, but one that also enhances gender-balanced representation across the firm. Currently, the firm’s partnership is comprised of 6 women and 6 men. Of our senior associates and associates, 9 are women and 5 are men. In totality, the firm has 67 employees – 35 women and 32 men.
On the whole, our firm strictly upholds the values of diversity and inclusion. We recognise the importance of our firm reflecting the gender equality that we strive for as a society. We further recognise how this diversity must be reflected in the voices that contribute to our decision-making processes. In 2018, the firm became a certified Blue Company, a certification awarded to companies that are deeply committed to anti-discrimination and anti-corruption practices.
This year’s IWD theme #ChoosetoChallenge resonates with our firm’s values. It emphasises the proactive nature that we all need to take in advancing the quality of life for women across different arenas through advocacy, taking action for equality, and celebrating women’s achievements.
What #ChoosetoChallenge means to us is the importance of consistency in ensuring set objectives in the quest for diversity and inclusion are met. As a firm, we have sought to pursue these goals with intentionality and consistency in the belief that, once met, they will lead to better outcomes for staff, whether male or female.
Mozambique
In 2019, Mozambique ranked 127th out of 159 countries in the UNDP Gender Inequality Index.
According to the World Bank’s Women, Business and Law 2021 index, when it comes to constraints on freedom of movement, laws affecting women's decisions to work, constraints related to marriage, constraints on women starting and running a business, and gender differences in property and inheritance, Mozambique gets a perfect score.
UN Women data notes that 78% of women participate in the labour force in Mozambique with 24.3% of managers who are women. The country has a number of gender equality laws, including for non-discrimination in hiring and banning sexual harassment in the workplace. However, there are no laws governing equal pay for work. It is estimated that 93% of women are working in vulnerable employment; this compares to 73% of men.
Women make up 38% of Afriwise’s contributing authors in Mozambique.
Paula Duarte Rocha
Afriwise asked: Since you started your career, what progress have you seen on gender equality in your life and work? 08 March 2021
I was privileged enough to start working as an assistant to a (female) lawyer in my first year of university. At the time (1996), women lawyers were few but all reputably known in the market.
Nowadays, I see more and more women graduates in law (compared to men), but very few are in private practice and partners in law firms. HRA Advogados was, in fact, the second law firm in the country with only female partners (and the ratio between men and women lawyers in the firm is quite balanced).
For those of us active in private practice, I may say that access to rights and opportunities is unaffected by gender.
Paula Duarte Rocha is a partner with Henriques, Rocha & Associados, Sociedade de Advogados. She is highly experienced in the Mozambican market, having intervened in all areas of practice, advising both national and foreign investors, as well as national and foreign private companies.
Nigeria
According to a report produced by the World Economic Forum, Nigeria has so far closed 63.5% of its gender gap, which places it 128th on the global rankings. Nigeria performs relatively better in offering comparable economic opportunities to both men and women than it does on the other dimensions of the index. The country has closed 73.8% of its Economic Participation and Opportunity gender gap to date (38th globally) and is one of the most improved countries globally on this aspect since 2018.
According to the World Bank’s Women, Business and Law 2021 index, when it comes to constraints on freedom of movement, laws affecting women's decisions to work, laws affecting women's pay, laws affecting women's work after having children, constraints on women starting and running a business, gender differences in property and inheritance, and laws affecting the size of a woman's pension, Nigeria could consider reforms to improve legal equality for women. In Nigeria, only 3.4% of parliament members are women.
Women make up 42% of Afriwise’s contributing authors in Nigeria.
Ngozi Efobi is a partner at AELEX, a full-service commercial and litigation law firm with offices across West Africa – Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt and Accra. She is considered a valued member of the partnership with broad years of experience in dispute resolution (litigation, commercial arbitration and mediation), as well as significant involvement in corporate commercial (project finance, company secretarial and regulatory compliance) practice areas.
An advocate for women and minority rights, Ngozi is passionate about issues that impact women’s lives, health, and professional and overall well-being. She believes that it is just as important to stand up for gender equity, women’s rights, girl-child education, and women empowerment as it is to challenge inequality, question gender bias and stereotypes, and help create an inclusive world.
Ngozi Efobi
Afriwise asked: What advice do you have for women starting out in legal careers? 08 March 2021
1. Do your work well and take credit for itDevelop a reputation early-on for excellence on the job. But don't just be excellent, own and project it! Be confident enough to talk about your successes.
2. Start networking early on in your career
Build client relationships from the start. The people you meet whilst starting out will become important contacts later in your career. It’s important to build those relationships in order to win work, which in turn supports career progression. It’s never too early to start. So work hard, have confidence and stay in touch with friends!
3. Enjoy the work that you do
If you enjoy the job, it shows. People will gravitate to you. Clients will see you enjoying learning about and solving their issues. Colleagues will also see you are cheerful and committed and will want to work with you.
4. Have a mentor but learn from everyone
An advantage that I have personally enjoyed at AELEX has been the access/opportunity to learn from the most accomplished seniors in the profession. If you understand what others have encountered in their careers, it can help you grow faster, avoid making mistakes and learn skills that would otherwise take years to master. So connect with senior successful people who will support you, give you opportunities to work on challenging/high-profile matters and advocate for you when you are not in the room.
5. Take risks and say yes
Don’t rule yourself out – take the opportunities that come your way even if you don’t think you are 100% ready.
6. Challenge misconceptions
There are still (un)conscious biases about a woman’s ability to progress in the legal industry. Challenge them. One common misconception is that career progression and starting a family are mutually exclusive. They're not.
7. As you progress/get more senior, do at least one thing to pave the way and create inclusive workspaces for other women
This is a culture at AELEX. The firm's on-site supervised creche, non-discrimination in high-profile work, harassment-free environment and personalised training plans have created a space where I and other women have felt truly encouraged to thrive personally and professionally.
Ozofu Ogiemudia
Afriwise asked: What advice do you have for women starting out in legal careers? 08 March 2021
I would advise young female lawyers to focus on their careers right after graduating from university or law school and try to figure out early on whether they wish to practice law, work as in-house counsel, or do something else (which might be completely unrelated to the practice of law). It is important for women, especially women within the more traditional societies in Africa, to leverage on their education to establish themselves as intellectually and financially independent and productive members of society. For those women who will go on into marriage or to have children, it is important to make the most of your years before marriage and motherhood to set your career on the desired path.
I was fortunate to be able to hit the ground running in my career by joining a leading commercial law firm right after I graduated from law school. The time I spent there helped me determine the area of focus for my Master of Laws degree which eventually helped me to determine the area of law that I specialise in currently. For me, marriage and children came subsequently and by the time this happened in my personal life, my professional life had already begun gaining momentum. I was therefore better able to cope with the demands of commercial law practice and starting a new family. I think that when women start a family early on in their career, it can often be overwhelming especially in a fast-paced and demanding profession like law. I believe that women can succeed in their personal lives and their careers, but this sometimes requires a little more planning than our male counterparts.
I would also advise young women to leverage their relationships with older like-minded women during this period. I was fortunate to be surrounded with other female successful lawyers who were both married and mothers and so it helped reinforce the fact that I could have a successful career and personal life without having to give up either. It was helpful being able to solicit advice and learn from other women who had gone through similar things that I was going through. I am very grateful for the guidance and counsel I received as a young lawyer from both male and female mentors who encouraged me along the way and helped me believe that I could do it!
Ozofu 'Latunde Ogiemudia is a partner at Udo Udoma & Belo-Osagie (UUBO), where she is part of the firm’s Corporate Advisory, Private Equity and Mergers & Acquisitions teams. She also co-heads the firm’s pro bono practice.
Zambia
According to the World Bank’s Women, Business and Law 2021 index, when it comes to laws affecting women’s decisions to work, laws affecting women’s pay, and constraints on women starting and running a business, Zambia gets a perfect score.
However, when it comes to constraints on freedom of movement, constraints related to marriage, laws affecting women's work after having children, gender differences in property and inheritance, and laws affecting the size of a woman's pension, Zambia could consider reforms to improve legal equality for women. For example, one of the lowest scores for Zambia is on the indicator related to laws affecting women’s work after having children.
Women make up 33% of Afriwise’s contributing authors in Zambia.
Jackie Jhala heads Corpus Legal Practitioners’ Corporate Advisory Department and focuses her practice on a wide range of corporate and commercial matters, restructuring and insolvency, tax, agribusiness, trusts and charities, employment and benefits, agribusiness, and trusts and charities.
Jackie Jhala
Afriwise asked: Since you started your career, what progress have you seen on gender equality in your life and work? 08 March 2021
Work-wise, there definitely has been progress made as more women are taking on leadership roles. We see a lot of women setting up their own practices and also a lot of female partners in already established firms. We equally see a positive trend in the balance of female to male employees in the recruitment process. I am a partner at Corpus Legal Practitioners and I can proudly say that the ratio of female to male employees is almost 50/50. This is very encouraging as it gives a positive message to women starting their careers that they are not disadvantaged and will be considered on an equal footing. However, though there is this positive progress, the legal profession is still male dominated. Therefore, my advice to young women entering this profession is that they should be prepared to work extra hard, be professional and always aim high.
Outside work, I think there is still a lot of progress to be made to ensure gender equality and combat discrimination against women. This starts from family level and cascades way up to public positions. A lot, especially in rural settings, can still be done to ensure that a girl child is also educated and that they are given the same opportunities in life as their male counterparts. This requires, amongst other things, a change in mindset and ensuring that policies are enhanced and implemented to ensure gender equality. It would also be satisfying to see more gender balance in political set ups as this is still mainly dominated by males.
