Advancing Women’s Leadership: Regional Assessment Meetings Spotlight Progress and Challenges in Local Governance
Advancing Women’s Leadership: Regional Assessment Meetings Spotlight Progress and Challenges in Local Governance
As part of ongoing efforts to deepen women’s political participation and strengthen local governance, Campaign for Good Governance, with support from Trócaire and the Ireland Government, convened a series of regional assessment meetings across Sierra Leone’s five regions. These meetings served as critical follow-ups to previous leadership and capacity-building interventions delivered under the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act 2022 implementation framework.
Held in strategic regional hubs, the sessions brought together female councilors and local women leaders to assess progress since the 2023 local council elections. The gatherings provided a platform for experience-sharing, learning, and collective reflection on how women are navigating public leadership roles, advancing community development, and promoting the principles of the GEWE Act at the grassroots level.
Throughout the sessions, participants highlighted their increased involvement in council decision-making processes, the introduction of gender-responsive community initiatives, and their growing confidence as advocates for inclusive governance. Despite facing structural and cultural barriers, many women leaders shared compelling stories of resilience, innovation, and transformation within their communities, from championing girls’ education and establishing local savings groups to facilitating clean water access and driving anti-violence campaigns.Facilitators explored themes such as navigating political spaces, overcoming leadership stereotypes, and the power of personal storytelling as a tool for advocacy. Participants had the opportunity to share their lived experiences, stories of rejection, perseverance, and resilience, that served as powerful reminders of the barriers many young women face, and the importance of creating inclusive spaces for all.
A consistent theme across all regions was the varying pace of GEWE Act implementation at the local level. While awareness has grown significantly, several institutional challenges remain, including limited resources, weak coordination structures, and occasional exclusion of elected female leaders from key planning processes. Participants also cited challenges such as language barriers in official meetings, mobility constraints, and the need for stronger inclusion in development planning by both traditional authorities and NGOs.
Despite these challenges, the meetings yielded promising outcomes. Action plans were developed to guide future engagement at the district level, a unified advocacy framework was adopted, and updated data on women leaders was compiled to support stronger coordination and representation moving forward.
Among the key recommendations were the need to strengthen institutional capacity within local councils, expand mentorship and leadership development opportunities for women, and deepen partnerships between women’s networks, civil society, and state actors to ensure sustained advocacy and accountability.
These assessment meetings are reaffirming the leadership of Sierra Leone’s women with emphasis on the need for continued investment, visibility, and collective action to turn policy commitments into lived realities. As the GEWE Act continues to take root at the sub-national level, CGG and its partners remain committed to supporting a future where women’s voices are not only heard but lead in shaping the nation’s democratic and development agenda.