Special Envoy May-Marie Duwai-Sowa met recently with Madam Manty Tarawalli, Sierra Leone’s former Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs, to discuss gender equality in Sierra Leone and celebrate the country’s success in enshrining women’s rights into law.
Minister Tarawalli was recently named Minister of State for the office of the Vice President following her role as the Minister of Gender and Children’s Affairs.
Sierra Leone recently passed the Gender Equality and Women Empowerment act, making the country a leader in West Africa with respect to advocating for the rights of women. The law now requires 30 percent of all positions in national and local governments to be held by women, along with 30 percent of all civil service positions. Private institutions with 25 or more employees must also have at least 30 percent of the jobs filled by women. Maternity leave was also extended to 14 weeks.
During the meeting, held April 9, 2024, Minister Tarawalli shared insights into her forthcoming initiatives aimed at further empowering women in Sierra Leone, specifically through gender leadership training with a Public Sector Delivery Leadership Fellowship. This program is designed to identify and address gaps within the public sector, focusing on effective training with a higher education component. The curriculum for this fellowship will be accredited and supported by the government, ensuring that civil servants, political aspirants, and counsellors receive the necessary training before advancing to roles within the public and political sectors, including parliament.
Special Envoy Duwai-Sowa told Minister Tarawalli she’s firmly committed to advancing gender equality in Sierra Leone, and the goals of the respective mandates to help Sierra Leone continue to grow and develop.
Special Envoy Duwai-Sowa indicated her strong desire to help collaborate on further initiatives that could help support women. She hopes to be able to share the proposal for the fellowship program with stakeholders in Canada whose organizational goals align with those of Minister Tarawalli, thereby leveraging their support to ensure the success of the Minister’s initiatives.
Duwai-Sowa represents Sierra Leone’s Office of the Special Envoy for International Relations, Trade, and Investment (SEIRTI), which is based in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. Born in Sierra Leone and now living in Canada, Special Envoy Duwai-Sowa holds both Canadian and Sierra Leone citizenship.
