Gender Quotas Database
Sierra Leone
Western Africa
Single / Lower House
Parliament
| Total seats | 149 |
| Total women | 44 |
| Percentage of women | 30% |
| Election year | 2023 |
| Electoral system | FPTP |
| Quota type | Reserved seats |
| Election details | IDEA Voter Turnout - IPU Parline |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Reserved seats | Electoral law |
For every 3 candidate nominated under subsection (1), one of them shall be female. The Public Election Act(2022). Article 58 (2). |
| Is the provision of direct public funding to political parties related to gender equality among candidates? | Not applicable | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
| Are there provisions for other financial advantages to encourage gender equality in political parties? | No | See more in International IDEA's Political Finance database |
Quota at the Sub-National Level
| Quota type | Legislated Candidate Quotas |
| Legal source | Details | |
|---|---|---|
| Quota type: Legislated Candidate Quotas | Electoral law |
A political party may have at least 30% placement for women in executive positions from ward to national level. Article 42. (Political Parties Act 2022) |
Voluntary Political Party Quotas*
| Party | Official Name | Details, Quota provisions |
|---|---|---|
| All People's Congress | (APC) |
A Statute draft was formulated by APC to include the following: The Party shall endeavor, when in power, to reserve at least 30% of all its political appointments for women and shall encourage female participation to elective offices within the Party and for National Elections (Article 76, Party Statute). |
* Only political parties represented in parliament are included. When a country has legislated quotas in place, only political parties that have voluntary quotas that exceed the percentage/number of the national quota legislation are presented in this table.
Additional information
The Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act (GEWE) of 2021 was passed by Parliament on November 15, 2022. On January 19, 2023, President Julius Maada Bio signed the act of parliament into law. The act establishes a legal requirement for all designated private and public bodies in Sierra Leone to ensure at least 30% female representation of their workforce. The act also specifies a 30% minimum quota for women’s participation and representation in government, for both appointed positions, including cabinet, ministry, ambassadorship roles and elected positions, such as parliamentary.
Following recent elections in 2023, women lawmakers now account for 28% of the elected seats in the Sierra Leone Parliament, up from 14.5% in the previous election. The surge in women MPs is largely thanks to the Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment Act (IPU).
Sources
Legal Sources:
- Constitution of Sierra Leone 1991, as amended to 2016/ 2021/ 2022 (1, 2, 3) - Link
- The Public Election Act (2022) - Link
- Political Parties Act 2022 - Link
- The Gender's Equality and Women's Empowerment Act (2022) - Link
Other Sources:
- Parliament of Sierra Leone - Link
- Electoral Commission - Link
- The Local Government Act 2022 - Link
- Inter-Parliamentary Union [IPU] Parline - Sierra Leone Country Profile - news
- National Democratic Institute - Sierra Leone: A groundbreaking gender equality bill passes
- ABC News New law aims to increase women in positions of power across Sierra Leone
Additional reading
- See the latest updates on Sierra Leone on iKNOW Politics
- Pathways of Women’s Empowerment. (2011). Case Study: Women and politics in Sierra Leone.
- Rogers, M. N. (2011). Women, politics and decision-making in Sierra Leone. GJDS, 8(1). doi:10.4313/gjds.v8i1.4
- Dahlerup, D. (2010). Introducing gender quotas in Sierra Leone: How to make electoral gender quotas work. Written for the Campaign for Good Governance in Sierra Leone. [WiP - Women in Politics Research Centre]
- The North-South Institute. (n.d.). It's our turn to rule: The 30% gender quota campain in Sierra Leone. Executive Summary.
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