Women drive change across African legal systems

Across Africa, the legal and justice sector is experiencing a cultural shift that goes beyond numbers and quotas. Reports, including those from the International Bar Association, show a steady rise in women entering law, yet leadership opportunities have not matched this growth. While Africa leads globally on progressive gender policies in law and justice, with strong representation in law firms, corporate counsels, public sector positions, and the judiciary, women remain underrepresented at senior levels. Cultural norms, institutional barriers, and opaque power structures continue to limit their ability to lead and make decisions.

The Difference She Makes movement, launched in 2025, aims to close this gap. Rather than celebrating symbolic representation, the movement focuses on accountability, cultural transformation, and the creation of environments where women can lead, thrive, and influence meaningful change across generations. Since its inception, the initiative has reached more than six million people across Africa, working in countries including Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa, and using a pan-African lens to encourage shared learning and regional impact.

The movement highlights stories of individuals and institutions that mark progress while exposing the barriers preventing women from reaching leadership positions. By leveraging storytelling, art, culture, and intergenerational dialogue, Difference She Makes has created platforms where women in law can openly discuss challenges, share strategies, and gain recognition for their contributions.

Irene Kerubo, a Difference She Makes advocate, said the campaign addresses structural and cultural constraints that continue to hinder women in leadership.

“This campaign brings realities to the surface not simply to acknowledge the gaps but to drive accountability and reimagine environments where women in law can lead and thrive,” she said.

The initiative emphasizes transformation over tokenism, institutional accountability over individual burden, and transparent systems over exclusive networks of power. It challenges the assumption that gender equity has already been achieved, highlighting the persistent structural obstacles that limit women’s participation and influence. Advocate Susan Musambaki added,

“Difference She Makes amplifies our collective voice to make legal spaces more inclusive and truly reflective of women’s leadership.”

The movement is powered by leading legal voices and partner organizations committed to advancing women’s leadership in law. Trailblazers such as Linda Kasonde, Zambia’s first female Bar Association President, and young leaders like Nigerian lawyer Becky Dike, South African human rights lawyer Tamika Thumbiran, retired Judge Mohini Moodley, and Kenyan High Court Advocate Natasha Ali Errey are at the forefront. These leaders guide the movement while mentoring the next generation of legal professionals.

Platforms including Legally Clueless, Drunken Lectures, NALAFEM, and East Africa Media Group have joined the initiative, helping build a continent-wide coalition for meaningful change. South African journalist Ntombi Nkosi emphasized the importance of visibility,

“This initiative is a commitment to ensure that women in law are not just included but visible, respected, and celebrated.”

Difference She Makes has undertaken multiple initiatives across the continent. It elevates women’s stories through Adelle Onyango’s Legally Clueless podcast, a journalist–lawyer fellowship, and a digital series highlighting barriers and successes in legal systems. The campaign’s first digital episode features Anne Ireri, Chief Executive Officer at the Federation of Women Lawyers in Kenya.

The movement also drives advocacy at national, regional, and global levels. In partnership with NALAFEM, Difference She Makes coordinates evidence-based dialogue and policy engagement across the continent. Insights from these discussions are amplified on the global stage, including at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women, ensuring African innovations and calls to action influence international conversations on gender equality in justice systems.

The Off the Table, On the Record series creates safe spaces for women, allies, and decision-makers to engage openly on often-overlooked issues. These dialogues provide opportunities for reflection, problem-solving, and exposing barriers that remain invisible in formal systems.

The Voice and Verdict Fellowship is a three-month Pan-African initiative under Difference She Makes. It brings together six fellows – three journalists and three legal professionals from Kenya, Nigeria, and South Africa – to confront tokenism, institutional bias, and opaque power structures. Fellows work collaboratively on investigative storytelling that challenges outdated norms, exposes systemic inequities, and reimagines pathways to gender-equal justice. Legal fellows include Susan Musambaki, Judith Anukie Ojovbo, and Mpho Mokgehle. Journalist fellows are Ntombi Nkosi, Lucy Riley, and Isioma Joseph Madike.

Through these programs, Difference She Makes is reshaping legal culture across Africa. It underscores that meaningful change requires more than entry into the profession. Women must have the authority, resources, and institutional support to thrive in leadership. By combining storytelling, advocacy, fellowship, and dialogue, the movement is building a pipeline of women leaders ready to transform the legal and justice sector from the ground up.

Difference She Makes is a call to action for law firms, courts, public institutions, and civil society. It demands that systems evolve to meet the potential of women rather than expecting women to navigate outdated and inequitable structures alone. Across Africa, the movement is proving that transformation, not tokenism, is the key to a legal system that is inclusive, fair, and reflective of the leadership talent available to the continent.