A first-of-its-kind Pan-African fellowship has launched to expose structural and cultural barriers preventing women from leading in law, organisers said.
The Voice and Verdict Fellowship brings together six legal professionals and journalists from Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa to challenge tokenism, institutional bias, and opaque power structures across the continent.
“This fellowship demands real transformation, not symbolic inclusion,” said Susan Musambaki, Advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
The initiative is part of Difference She Makes, a movement aimed at creating environments where women in law can enter, grow, and thrive in leadership roles.
The campaign has reached more than 6 million people across Africa and is active in Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa.
Fellows include legal professionals Judith Anukie Ojovbo, Legal Officer at Signature Bank in Nigeria, and Mpho Mokgehle, Director of Mokgehle Mohlala Attorneys in South Africa, alongside journalists Ntombi Nkosi of African Times, Lucy Riley of Deutsche Welle and BBC Focus on Africa, and Isioma Joseph Madike of New Telegraph Newspapers in Lagos.
“This campaign surfaces realities often ignored in legal systems while spotlighting women breaking barriers,” observed Ntombi Nkosi.
The fellowship will produce investigative reporting and storytelling aimed at transforming legal culture, promoting accountability in institutions, and challenging opaque networks of power.
Difference She Makes also partners with organisations such as NALAFEM, Legally Clueless, and East Africa Media Group to advance the campaign.
Regional convenings and dialogues will precede presentations at the 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), ensuring Africa’s perspective informs global discussions on gender equality in justice systems.
“While women continue to enter the legal profession in record numbers, leadership is still held back by persistent structural constraints,” noted Irene Kerubo, co-founder of Difference She Makes.
The movement will also host curated dialogues under the Off the Table, On the Record series to address barriers often overlooked in formal systems.
