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For a country with a significant female population, Nigeria has been poor in ensuring gender parity in elected and appointed leadership positions. Since 1979, the country has practiced a presidential form of government, with a devolved form of government across three tiers—federal, state and local levels. Yet, despite the number of elective constituencies available, there has been little to no women elected to these positions. Nigeria has never elected a female president, vice-president or a governor in any of its thirty-six states. Women elected to the national legislature have been a scant percentage in any of the ten constituted sessions of either chamber, with none emerging as president of the senate and a roughly five-month stint for the only woman to emerge speaker of the House of Representatives. This paper overviews the history of political participation in women before reviewing the status of women in previous cabinets. It then highlights factors affecting appointments and challenges for women in post. Nigerian political literature is expanding on the covering the identity-based elements of its politics, but it is yet to properly address the role that cabinet appointments can play in correcting the gender imbalance in political leadership.

This report provides a situational analysis of the aftermath of Colonel Mamadi Doumbouya's 2021 coup that ousted President Alpha Conde. The report explores the transition period, highlighting both promising developments and challenges. It discusses the initiation of an inclusive dialogue, institutional reforms, anti-corruption efforts, and development projects.

Nigeria’s next elected president will lead the country into celebrating 63 years as an independent nation on 1 October 2023. In that time, Nigerians have seen attempts at democracy interrupted three times, but democracy has been the system of

With the restoration of democratic order in The Gambia in early 2017, the West Africa region gained the attention of the world as a site of democratic consolidation in Africa. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) vehement rejection

ECOWAS Management of Political Transitions in Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso: Achieving Stability, Sustainable Democracy and Development

Women made up roughly 47.1% of the 84 million registered voters in the 2019 general elections. A further 3.29 million have registered ahead of the 2023 polls, as compared with 3.2 million men. Yet, although women make up a significant portion of the

In recent elections across West Africa opposition mantras of change have succeeded in convincing voters to oust incumbent governments. The five countries focused on in this edition of West Africa Insight - Nigeria, Ghana, The Gambia, Sierra Leone and Liberia - have all seen an opposition presidential candidate emerge victorious since 2015. But faced with significant challenges and high expectations how are they doing in office?

In the last quarter of 2020, five of the 15 Economic Community of West African States member countries are facing important elections. In October, presidential elections will take place in Guinea and Cote D'Ivoire (October), with general elections to follow in Burkina Faso (November), Ghana and Niger (both December).

Over the last few months, whether in Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso, Niger, Senegal, or elsewhere, Africans, the youth in particular, have, in their thousands, frequently and stridently protested French policies in Africa. This is striking when compared to the attitudes of previous generations. This unmistakable intensification of the rancor against France’s policies in Francophone countries’ populace and political and intellectual classes alike seems to have now reached most of the rest of Africa’s elites.

Corruption in Nigeria is ubiquitous and takes many forms: from massive contract fraud to petty bribery; from straight-up embezzlement to complicated money laundering schemes. Just six years after independence, the country experienced its first military coup that ousted out the elected officials of the first republic.

The days when COVID-19 was only a distant threat to West African countries are over. It is now evident that the virus is here to stay and must be addressed with practical responses that take into account the West African settings.

The security crisis in the Sahel is spiralling as unprecedented waves of violence surge across the region. The United Nations figures have revealed a five fold increase in the number of attacks in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger since 2016.

The oil rich Niger Delta region has been a policy and political challenge to successive administrations in Nigeria since the 1960s. Between 1999 and 2015 it featured prominently in the policy priorities of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

The invalidation of about thirty results of the March-April legislative elections by the Constitutional Court triggered series of violent demonstrations to express dissatisfaction by citizens and as a result, an awakening of crisis in the political scene of Mali

Based on its analysis of elections conducted so far in West Africa during the current pandemic, the Centre for Democracy and Development outlines the following considerations to guide the conduct of elections under the pandemic:

The Fourth Republic differs from the three previous Republics we had in Nigeria in several respects. For one, it is the longest. While the First Republic lasted 5 years from Independence, the Second Republic lasted four years and three months while the Third Republic was inconclusive.

Chapter one : What nation for which literature? [page 5] was written by Nikolai Jeffs. The novel of the Nigerian-Biafran war records, is also engaged in conflict.

“Social media has changed the face of politics in Nigeria.” So said many political candidates, professionals, non-governmental organisation (NGO) and civil society actors, scholars and political advisers interviewed as part of this research project in the lead-up to, and the aftermath of, the 2019 presidential and gubernatorial elections.

The 2019 Buharimeter National Survey elicits the views of Nigerians on three key areas. These are: reflections on the recently concluded General Elections; policy priorities of Government; and strategies to address lingering challenges facing the country, over the next four years.

This edition of West Africa Insight will look ahead to key issues and events set to play out in 2019. In February two of the region’s countries will hold presidential elections. Voters will cast their ballots on 16 February in Nigeria.