Bayelsa State Governor Douye Diri has made a passionate call for African governments to deliberately place women in positions of power, warning that the continent continues to stunt its own growth by sidelining half of its population.
Diri delivered this message on Wednesday at the Dawda Jawara International Conference Centre in The Gambia.
He was the special guest at a ceremony marking the release of a book, magazine, and documentary celebrating Banjul’s first female Mayor, Rohey Malick Lowe.
Speaking before an international gathering of political and business figures, Diri raised the question of whether Africa’s long-standing developmental struggles are partly a consequence of historically shutting women out of meaningful decision-making.
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He was clear that his position is not driven by sentiment but by firsthand lessons drawn from running a state government.
The governor urged African leaders to abandon outdated cultural attitudes that continue to hold women back from stepping into leadership.
He pointed to his own administration in Bayelsa State as evidence, noting that he has made deliberate efforts to open doors for both women and young people as part of a broader development agenda.
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“The progress of our nations will be accelerated when leadership is inclusive and when merit, competence, and vision are allowed to flourish irrespective of gender,” Diri stated.
“Africa cannot afford to leave half of its human capital on the sidelines while seeking solutions to complex social, economic, and political challenges.
“Women have consistently demonstrated resilience, innovation, compassion, and an uncommon commitment to service. Yet, leadership in Africa has not fully explored or harnessed this immense reservoir of talent.”
Stand against xenophobia
Diri also turned his attention to the wave of xenophobic violence currently targeting African migrants in South Africa, issuing a sharp condemnation.
He cautioned that such attacks are tearing at the very spirit of Pan-African unity painstakingly built by the continent’s founding generation — among them The Gambia’s late independence hero, Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara.
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He called on African nations to lean into one another with solidarity and practical support in times of regional difficulty, rather than descend into hostility.
“Such acts wound the fabric of Pan-African brotherhood that our forebears like Sir Dawda Kairaba Jawara, the independence leader of The Gambia, fought to build,” Diri noted.
“When one nation suffers, our response must be guided by compassion, solidarity, and pragmatic support.”
Beyond the ceremony, the occasion yielded a significant diplomatic outcome, the formal signing of a sister-city agreement between Banjul City Council and Yenagoa Local Government Area of Bayelsa State.
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Mayor Rohey Malick Lowe appended her signature on behalf of Banjul, whilst Hon. Bulodisiye Ndiwari signed for Yenagoa.
In recognition of Diri’s sustained commitment to women’s empowerment across Africa, Mayor Lowe honoured him with the symbolic key to the City of Banjul along with several other awards.
The event drew a distinguished crowd, including former Gambian Vice President Ousainou Darboe, Dakar Mayor Adama Sarr, and former Leeds Mayor Abigail Marshal-Katung, who delivered the keynote address celebrating Mayor Lowe’s record of service in local governance.
