By Millicent Senava Mannah
When the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (GEWE) Act was passed into law in Sierra Leone in 2022, it was hailed as a groundbreaking step toward addressing centuries of gender inequality. The law promised to increase women’s participation in political and public life, protect them from discrimination at work, and create opportunities for equal representation.
Three years later, has it lived up to its promise?
As someone who has reported on gender and social issues for years, I’ve followed the Act’s journey closely. There is no question that the GEWE Act has sparked important conversations, led to tangible changes in some sectors, and opened doors for women that were previously shut. But it has also faced resistance, implementation gaps, and challenges that threaten to undermine its potential.
The GEWE Act mandates that women occupy at least 30% of public and private leadership positions, ensures equal access to employment and education opportunities, and prohibits discrimination based on gender. For many women I spoke with, this law gave them hope.
“I finally felt seen,” said Fatmata Jalloh, a civil servant in Freetown who was promoted to a managerial role last year. “For the first time, I didn’t feel like being a woman was a barrier.”
According to government data, the number of women in cabinet and parliament has increased modestly over the past three years, with more women running for office and winning seats. Some companies have also begun creating deliberate pathways for women to move into leadership positions.
Yet, the progress has been uneven, and sometimes symbolic. Many private sector employers still lack clear policies to meet the 30% requirement, and some women complain of being appointed to roles without real decision-making power.
In rural areas, where traditions run deep, many women say the law feels distant and abstract. “We hear about it on the radio,” one woman in Port Loko told me, “but in our villages, nothing has changed.”
Advocates point out that the Act lacks strong enforcement mechanisms. There are few penalties for institutions that fail to comply, and some agencies have yet to develop gender policies or collect data to monitor progress.
“We can’t just pass laws and expect miracles,” said Mariama Conteh, a gender rights activist. “We need education, resources, monitoring, and political will to make the law work.”
Still, there are success stories. More girls are enrolling in secondary school and university. More women are attending town meetings and speaking up about community decisions. Young women in urban areas are increasingly aspiring to leadership in politics and business, citing the GEWE Act as inspiration.
Civil society organizations have also used the law as a tool to hold institutions accountable and to train women on their rights.
Three years on, the GEWE Act has planted seeds of change. But laws alone cannot dismantle generations of inequality, it takes time, commitment, and vigilance.
