Sierra Leone: Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Bill

In January 2023, President Julius Maada Bio of Sierra Leone signed into law the country's landmark Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act (GEWE).
The law is the most significant increase in women's political participation in the country's history and an excellent achievement for gender equality in Sierra Leone.
Approval was possible because of the understanding that emancipated women would contribute economically to the family, the community, and the country.

The law prescribes improvements in women's access to funding, job opportunities, equal pay, maternity leave, and political representation, introducing a 30 per cent quota for women's participation in government. This implies an increase in women’s political representation from the current 12 per cent of parliamentary seats and four of 32 cabinet positions.

The GEWE Act also includes a minimum of 30 per cent quota for women in the private sector, which includes a 30 per cent quota of top leadership positions for women.

The GEWE quota became effective on 24 June 2023 with Sierra Leone's presidential, parliamentary, mayoral, and local council elections. It aims to have gender units within all ministries, departments, and agencies and gender-responsive budgeting.

The GEWE Act introduces, among others, 14 weeks of maternity leave, mandates equal pay, and grants women equal access to financial support and training opportunities.

The Bank of Sierra Leone and the Ministry of Finance are mandated to develop new approaches to increase women's access to finance. The government is also promoting other key gender empowerment activities, such as ensuring robust response mechanisms and preventive measures against sexual and gender-based violence (GBV).

The law is a fundamental step for gender equality in the country, especially considering that Sierra Leone is ranked 181 out of 191 countries in the United Nations Development Program's Gender Inequality Index.