Nigeria Urged To Implement 35% Affirmative Action As Namibia, Kenya Set Pace

As women led by the Nigerian Women Trust Fund (NWTF)continues to advocate for the implementation of a court judgment mandating 35% affirmative action in government appointments, countries like Kenya and Namibia are already making significant strides in women’s political inclusion.

Thus, President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly have once again been urged to implement the affirmative action to boost women’s inclusion in governance.

Last month, Namibia made history by becoming the first African country to elect both a female president and vice president.

The southern African nation also appointed eight women out of 14 ministers, along with seven female deputy ministers, signaling a strong commitment to gender parity in governance.

In neighbouring Kenya, the constitution provides a clear framework for gender inclusion.

Speaking on the developments yesterday, the executive director of Siasa Place,  Nerima Wako-Ojiwa, said Kenya’s constitution prohibits any single gender from occupying more than two-thirds of seats in public institutions, including parliament and government committees.

“Every one of Kenya’s 47 counties has a woman representative with full parliamentary rights including voting power and access to budget allocations,” Nerima said during a podcast, urging the Nigerian government to follow suit.

She also highlighted a landmark decision by Kenya’s Supreme Court led by Chief Justice Maraga which ordered the dissolution of parliament for failing to meet the constitutional gender quota. Kenya now has at least seven elected female governors.

Reacting to Kenya’s progress, Adaora Onyechere Sydney-Jack, a Nigerian women’s rights advocate and former House of Representatives candidate, stated that she hopes Nigeria can someday match Kenya’s level of commitment to gender inclusion.

She expressed disappointment over the repeated rejection of gender bills by Nigeria’s male-dominated National Assembly and criticised political parties for failing to fulfill gender inclusion quotas during candidate nominations.

Speaking on the unamplified podcast, Adaora emphasised the importance of increasing the number of women in decision-making positions to ensure more gender-sensitive policies.

“Even if you have the power to be in the room, what are you saying? What are you amplifying? What kind of conversation are you promoting?” she asked.

Adaora also stressed that women already in power must actively champion policies that advance women’s rights and representation. Echoing Nerima’s points, she called for broader activism and participation — from elections to policymaking — to ensure implementation of key frameworks like Nigeria’s National Gender Policy. “We need more voices pushing for structural change to bring women to the table — not just to be present, but to lead the conversation,” she concluded.

Both Nerima and Adaora emphasised the need for greater pressure from civil society organisations, media and advocacy groups to push for inclusive governance in Nigeria.