COVID - 19 and Female Leadership: A Way Forward for the Continent?

In a previous piece, I outlined how the government of the Democratic Republic of Congo could manage the spread of COVID-19, even in the face of the resurgence of Ebola. I argued that in order to mitigate the spread of the disease, the Congolese government needs to focus on listening to affected communities and communicating effectively with them. They will also need to collect, and analyze data as well as respect the rights of the people in order to encourage their participation in their efforts. But in this piece, we turn the page a bit as we look to outline the type of leader best suited to manage a crisis like this.

Much has been made about women’s leadership through COVID-19 and that the countries that have seen the best outcomes through this crisis globally have been led by women. This past April, Forbes published a piece highlighting the impact of female leadership across the globe as COVID-19 started to spread. Less though has been said about African female leadership through this epidemic and its successes.

Given the history of authoritarian responses to crises on the continent, it is important that we not only acknowledge the positive impact of female leadership throughout this crisis, but also make the case for the need for new leadership styles in Africa. But it is also important for us to look to get the full picture and understand what allows these new leadership styles to come to the fore.

While Forbes should be lauded for highlighting the important impact of women’s leadership, it is curious that no names of female leaders from the African continent were placed on the list of the initial April 13th article. What was interesting about the piece was that none of the female leaders listed had very similar responses to the crisis. Each of the noted responses were the result of the respective personal leadership styles of each head of state or government, as well as the tools available at their disposal.

Looking towards the continent, while there was much concern initially about how detrimental the potential impacts of COVID-19 might be, for now at least, some analysts have been claiming that much of the continent has evaded the more hard-felt effects of the virus seen across the globe. There are many purported reasons for this: to begin Africa has a relatively young population which may be more immune to the harsher effects of the virus, African governments were quick to shut down borders and limit international travel due to previous experience with Ebola and other transmittable illnesses, and finally obesity, an important risk factor, is less prevalent on the continent.

Though it is possible, even likely, that all of these factors have played a role in limiting the spread of COVID-19 on the continent, it is more likely that we don’t currently have all of the facts, given that testing has been limited, and data on the spread of the disease has not been reliable as a result. But even in the midst of all of this, one south-west African nation has stood out due to its data-driven approach to tackling the crisis, as well as the limited number of fatalities experienced so far.

That nation, Namibia, with its female Prime Minister, Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila, the only sitting female Prime Minister on the continent, has been lauded for its efforts in curbing the spread of the disease, having seen a total of 39 cases, and 0 deaths. The Prime Minister has also been lauded in the past for her efforts in promoting gender parity in Namibia and advocating for women’s human rights. These efforts have led to a “gender revolution” within the Namibian government, which has had broader impacts across the economy and likely set the stage to allow the country to manage this crisis so well.

Given the lack of resources to combat the virus on the continent, how leaders utilize these resources becomes of the utmost importance. This is where the traits of “female” leadership come into play. Naturally, as most heads of government or state are not experts in epidemiology, the most important trait female leaders have showcased is the capacity to listen, most notably to the experts who understand this issue far better than they do. Doing so requires not only humility, vulnerability and empathy, but also a strength to hold and maintain authority in the process. It also means listening to the data, when available, as it is the best possible means to understand how a phenomenon is playing out where you govern.

The other quality female leaders have exhibited has been the capacity to execute. The spread of COVID-19 has necessitated massive shifts in government policy, and while the capacity to develop adequate policy based on the data is important, the ability to effectively execute and save lives is paramount.

But beyond these traits, what is more important is that there be a culture that is open and receptive to these particular leadership styles. The research has shown that countries with female leadership have suffered six times fewer deaths throughout the pandemic than those run by men. Female leaders have also been more effective in flattening the curve, having kept them on average six times lower than male leaders have. But why is this the case?

The reality is that countries led by women are faring better not because they are led by women, but because the election and selection of female leaders is indicative of a more equitable society where the qualities that female leaders bring to the table are more valued. Gender parity measures look to assess the participation of women in society more broadly, meaning in business, government and other sectors. Namibia, where Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila is currently Prime Minister, has made significant progress in these measures going from 38th in 2006 to 12th this year in the World Economic Forum’s 2015 Global Gender Gap ranking. What this indicates is that the country might be a prime candidate for keeping the virus at bay.

For far too long leadership styles on the continent have been more authoritative, autocratic, and invulnerable. We have long seen, and continue to see the impacts of this. What the current crisis is showing us is that perhaps it is time to embrace male and female leaders who exhibit the female traits of vulnerability and empathy. Who can utilize their capacities to listen, to their people and to experts, and who can be assertive, yet compassionate, enough to pivot on policy and save lives during a crisis. In order to do this we need to embrace female leadership across the board.

The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone and not the Future Africa Forum.