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Education

AFRICA: BBC World News To Question African Leaders On Women's Equality

 Created: 27 October 2015

Source: BBC World
Zeinab Badawi moderates a live audience who will grill African decision-makers about equality for women.

This November, Global Questions, the BBC's highly respected, internationally renowned, current affairs programme travels to Kenya to raise important questions around sexual politics and gender equality for women in Africa.

Recording in the Kenyan capital on 5th November, the discussions will be presented by Zeinab Badawi for BBC World News and by Angela Ngendo for BBC Swahili. The panels of decision makers and opinion formers will face a live audience with important questions about how women can have a bigger role in influencing policy decisions, and in shaping the future of their continent. It is a chance for people to put tough and frank questions to those who run their lives.

Zeinab Badawi, BBC Presenter said: "People in Africa are increasingly holding their leaders to account and demanding a better response to their needs from their government. The role of the media is critical to these efforts: so it is important for me that we help facilitate this process through helping raise farther the voice of Africans by enabling them to question their leaders and opinion formers about issues that matter to them. This is a vital tool for promoting good governance and Global Questions is the ideal platform to uphold this aim not only in Kenya or Africa, but globally."

Bringing together high-profile Africans from the worlds of politics, civil society and the international community, the English-speaking panel will include Lady Justice Njoki Ndungu, a Supreme Court Judge who is renowned for her efforts delivering the Sexual Offences Act; Dr Babatunde Osotimehin, Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and former Nigerian Health Minister; and Fuambai Sia Ahmadu, co-founder of African Women are Free to Choose (AWA-FC) and health advisor for the Vice President of Sierra Leone.

Junet Mohamed, a Somali opposition politician who believes African women need to put more effort in for their empowerment, will feature on the English and Swahili-speaking panels. Also on the Swahili-speaking panel will be Gertrude Mwongela campaigner of women's rights and former Secretary General of the 1995 United Nations Conference on Women; and Cecily Mbarire, a Kenyan member of parliament belonging to the Party of National Unity and the chairwoman of Kenya Women Parliamentary Association (KEWOPA).

Twenty years ago, the United Nations Conference on Women in Beijing set ambitious targets to transform the lives of women across the world, but in Africa how much has really changed? The African Union declared 2015 the 'Year of Women's Empowerment' – and while there have been examples of improved legislation, on sexual violence, education and equality and it is no longer uncommon to find some women running successful businesses or standing for parliament, for the majority progress has been uneven and slow.

Few women are in positions of power and influence in the continent and patriarchal politics still dominates. Many African women have poor access to land, credit, health care and education. Violence against women has reached alarming proportions. Many girls still face the daunting threat of trafficking, female genital cutting, early or forced marriages and unwanted pregnancies.

Global Questions will be giving ordinary citizens in Africa the opportunity to question decision makers about what the future holds for women in their society – from financial equality to female healthcare and gender violence. Questions can be submitted through a range of BBC platforms including Twitter by using the hashtag #BBCGlobalQuestions, visiting the World Service Facebook page, sending us a Whatsapp message on +44 7497371629 or by visiting the BBC website bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-34362795

The BBC is also inviting members of the public to attend the recording of Global Questions in Nairobi on Thursday 5th November. For more details and to apply to be part of the audience, you can also contact us using the above platforms.

The programme will be broadcast on the BBC's international news channel, BBC World News on 14th November. It will also feature on BBC World Service Radio, BBC Swahili and bbc.com.

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