Orange Sierra Leone Celebrates International Women’s Day With Female Parliamentary Caucus

Orange, Sierra Leone’s leading mobile company celebrated International Women’s Day with the Sierra Leone Female Parliamentary Caucus on Thursday, March 14, 2024, in Parliament.

The event brought together various stakeholders to celebrate the achievements of women in Sierra Leone and discuss the importance of continued efforts towards gender equality.

Speaking at the symposium, the General Secretary of Orange SL, Danetta Younge conveyed the company’s support for gender equality and commended the government’s efforts, including the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act (GEWE) and the legislation protecting women from discrimination and violence.

She acknowledged the crucial role of female MPs in advocating for these advancements and expressed the company’s commitment to women’s empowerment. She highlighted Orange’s achievement of having 30% female employees and increasing the number of women in leadership positions.

The Leader of the Female Caucus in Parliament, Hon. Neneh Lebbie praised past members and thanked supporters for their role in boosting female representation. Laws promoting gender equality led to a sharp rise in female MPs, exceeding the West African average of 38.2%. She emphasized the need for lasting backing for gender equality and efforts to end violence against women and girls.

Dr. Sylvia Blyden who chaired the program also highlighted the remarkable achievement of having 30% female representation in parliament, attributing it to the temporary use of the Proportional Representation (PR) system due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the August 2022 instability.

Dr. Blyden expressed concern that returning to constituency-based elections under the current constitution would likely decrease female representation. She urged the female MPs to advocate for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing 30% female parliamentary seats. This would require public support through a referendum. She emphasized the need for female MPs to be strong advocates for women’s rights, particularly for vulnerable women in rural areas.