Rwandan, Ivorian women legislators to strengthen ties

There is a lot that women parliamentarians in Ivory Coast can learn from their counterparts in Rwanda and mutual cooperation is needed if Ivorian women are to capture more seats in their country’s parliament, an Ivorian woman parliamentarian has said. Sarra Sako Fadiga, first vice-president of the Ivorian National Parliament and president of women parliamentary caucus, made the remarks while interacting with Rwandan MPs on Friday. Fadiga is leading a delegation of 29 legislators and other government officials from Ivory Coast on a study tour in the country. “We would like to have a partnership between woman parliamentarians of the two countries. Only 9.8 per cent of parliamentarians in Ivory Coast are women; you understand that we need to learn a lot from you (Rwanda),” she said. With 64 per cent of seats in its Lower House and 38 per cent in the Senate occupied by women, Rwanda holds a world record of women representation in the legislature and remains a beacon for promoters of gender balance in the world. First Vice President of the Ivorian Parliament Sarah Sako Fadiga (L) presents Speaker Donatille Mukabalisa with Ivorian traditional attire after their meeting in Kigali Friday. Rwanda’s constitution puts quotas for women representation in Parliament and in other decision-making institutions, explicitly saying that women will occupy not less than 30 per cent of positions. The law exclusively reserves 24 seats for women representatives in the Chamber of Deputies, making it easier for women to find their place in the House. Strategies for elections Ivory Coast will hold parliamentary elections in December 2016, and Sako said her country needs to use the elections as an opportunity to get women to occupy 30 to 40 per cent seats in parliament. “It is not easy; we need everyone in Ivory Coast to play a part in order to achieve that goal,” Fadiga said. Fadiga said women in Ivory Coast need to be more involved in politics and help in building the country because they make up 52 per cent of the population. “If we want development in Ivory Coast, we need men and women to work together,” she said. Ivorian parliamentarians during the meeting at Parliament Buildings on Friday.(John Mbanda) The Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, Donatile Mukabalisa, encouraged delegates from Ivory Coast to campaign for the inclusion of more women in decision making, describing a state where only men occupy leadership positions as “choosing to walk with one leg while one has two legs”. Highlighting the example of Rwanda, Mukabalisa told the Ivorian delegates that “political will” is what their country needs to include more women in decision making institutions. She promised the Ivorian women parliamentarians full cooperation from their Rwandan counterparts to advance women’s rights and their participation in decision making. “We will do whatever is in our ability to share our experience with you,” she told the Ivorian delegation.

News

Rwandan, Ivorian women legislators to strengthen ties