Women push for leadership positions in legal sector

By Sunday Ani

A campaign across Africa, tagged, ‘Difference She Makes,’ has been silently launched to agitate for women to be given a fair share in the leadership positions in legislative and judiciary space.

The campaign, themed, “Transformation, not tokenism: A cultural shift for law and justice through women in leadership,” is targeted at over six million people across Africa, with the sole aim of causing a cultural shift in Africa’s legal and justice sector. This is to ensure that women in law can enter, grow and thrive in leadership roles.

A recent statement from the Difference She Makes campaign highlighted that, despite the growing number of women entering the legal profession, leadership opportunities remain scarce.

Part of the statement read: “Africa leads on progressive gender policies in law and justice, on entry-level and representation numbers in law firms, corporate counsels, the public sector and the judiciary. Yet, the challenge is two-fold: women in many African countries continue to be under-represented at the top, and where they are present, culture and norms hold them back.

“Difference She Makes aims to close that gap, not merely by celebrating the numbers, but by building institutional accountability for cultural shifts that enable, equip and empower women across generations to thrive.”

According to the statement, the campaign which started in 2025, is a pan-African movement that recognises the stories of individuals and institutions that mark progress and offer key lessons learnt from decades of progress, as well as disrupting cultural, normative and narrative barriers and existing practices that stop women from venturing into law and practising it or achieving their best.

“These same barriers often keep women, irrespective of background and context, from meaningful leadership and decision-making roles, despite progressive policies being in place.

“Difference She Makes is a multi-platform movement rooted in stories and dialogues from the continent working towards advancing women in leadership in law and justice. By harnessing the power of storytelling, art and culture, solidarity and intergenerational dialogues, the movement has reached over six million people across the continent already, and is active in Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa, with a pan-African lens for regional resonance and shared learning.

“This campaign is a timely intervention. While women continue to enter the legal profession in record numbers, their leadership is still held back by persistent structural and cultural constraints. This campaign brings those realities to the surface, not simply to acknowledge the gaps, but to drive accountability and reimagine environments where women in law can lead and thrive,” the statement added.

The statement noted that the campaigns matter a lot because it challenges the widespread myth that gender equity had already achieved, and instead, shines a spotlight on the structural and cultural obstacles that continue to hold women back, including transformation over tokenism, institutional accountability over individual burden and transparent systems over exclusive power networks

Speaking on the campaign, women advocate, Susan Musambaki, said: “Difference She Makes amplifies our collective voice to make legal spaces more inclusive and truly reflective of women’s leadership.”

The campaign, according to the statement was powered by leading legal voices and partner organisations committed to advancing women’s leadership in law, including Linda Kasonde, Zambia’s first female Bar Association President; Nigerian lawyer, Becky Dike; South African human rights lawyer, Tamika Thumbiran; retired Judge, Mohini Moodley and Kenyan advocate of the High Court, Natasha Ali Errey, among others

According to a South African journalist, Ntombi Nkosi, “This initiative is a commitment to ensure that women in law are not just included, but visible, respected and celebrated.”

The campaign has undertaken key initiatives across the continent, including elevating and amplifying women’s stories, advocacy from a pan-African to a global level, off the table, on the record series and the voice and verdict fellowship, which has produced six fellows, comprising three journalists and three legal professionals from Kenya, Nigeria and South Africa. “The fellowship confronts tokenism, institutional bias and opaque power structures by demanding real transformation, not symbolic inclusion,” the statement added.