The two speakers, one from Kenya and the other from Zimbabwe, had very much in common.

Born into tough countrysides. Well aware of their responsibility in changing their homes’ future. Competing against boys at a time when not many really fancied girls’ chances. Now, prominent scholars. Currently in key leadership spaces that have opened the way for younger African women scientists.

The two, Dr Damaris Matoke-Muhia, a Senior Principal Research Scientist at Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) and Prof Prisca Mugabe, an Associate Professor in the Department of Livestock Sciences, Faculty of Agriculture, Environment and Food Systems at the University of Zimbabwe, headlined a webinar on Africa Science Dialogue on Friday, March 7, and hypnotized their audience.

In this webinar, titled ‘Accelerating Action: Closing the Gender Gap to Reshape Africa’s Scientific Future’, the two spoke passionately about the place of women in science and in society, and highlighted key hits and costly misses in the past, including a glaring underrepresentation of women in key decision-making positions in society, a topic that has been debated for ages.

And joined by the ageless Dr Margaret Karembu, the ISAAA AfriCenter Director, and Bibiana Iraki, Senior Programs Officer at AfriCenter, the stalwarts of science painstakingly dissected the main pain-point that make this year’s International Women’s Day quite a remarkable event; society’s relentless frowning upon women and their capabilities in science leadership.

“Historically, women have been disadvantaged at the point of receiving education because focus has mainly been on the male child. Resources have, unfortunately, mainly gone to the latter,” noted Dr Matoke-Muhia who, with five male siblings, could easily have been neglected early on and missed school.

She had the fortune of having quite futuristic parents who decided to support her all the way. Prof Mugabe was in a somewhat similar situation, and she confessed that were it not for strong family support against all odds, she would have never sniffed the heights she has touched.

Part of these women’s determination, however, came from the constantly tough circumstances at home. Dr Matoke-Muhia set her sights on eradication of malaria, a life-threatening tropical disease which was prevalent in her neighborhood.

“I always struggled with the idea of being part of the solution to end malaria, alongside other infectious diseases. I knew I had to have a role in it,” she said.

They worked hard. They always have. There has not been an alternative for them. Now when they turn their heads back and witness the trail they have trod, they can talk of the missteps they have had – and the need for detours therefore – so that younger scientists can drink from their cauldron of wisdom and avoid whatever manholes are littered along the way.

They have seen cultural and societal norms hurt women’s chances, and they did not like it.

“You see, women do more of the caring of livestock and struggle very much doing it, yet they are limited in decision making, for example,” Prof Mugabe said, likening men, the ‘real’ owners of the cattle- and the decision makers therefore- to absentee landlords. “Women are missing in decision making tables due to cultural and systemic barriers. But they should be in these positions so that they are not just implementers of decisions made without them.”

In extreme cases, women have to make very severe sacrifices, sometimes having to consider family or marital dynamics at the expense of what should be right for them, therefore leaving them in very precarious situations- holding onto nothing but hope that they will be rewarded for the decision.

Dr Matoke-Muhia said there is an unnecessary conditioning that sets women to assume a very meek demeanor which, while societally praised, leaves them scampering after their male counterparts who, with brute force and crude determination, seize every opportunities at the first chance.

“Women have to strive to be heard amid the noise and rat race.”

The panelists wondered if women were doing enough for their fellow women, and if they were gracious enough to shepherd their proteges the right way. According to Dr Matoke-Muhia, women should be available for, and should support, fellow women, motivating them and ensuring that policies and decisions that are made favor the well-being of women.

Essentially, women need to master soft skills that put them in a position to fight for their place at the table,

“Alarmingly, women remain significantly underrepresented in STEM leadership and decision-making roles, partly due to limited opportunities to develop communication and negotiation skills,” said Dr Karembu.

They also need to, according to Ms Iraki, not shy away from talking about, in the most emphatic way, their efforts and achievements.

“Women need to be advocates of their own hard work. Speak about it, let people know what it is that you do,” she said.

Other key issues discussed were creation of safe working environments for women, making systems work for women so that society easily appreciates women and their roles, sensitizing men so they are accommodative of ideas of, competition from and collaborations with women, and insisting to women to put in sufficient effort in their work so they are judged meritocratically.

“There is an African proverb that says, ‘A man and a woman are like two wheels of a cart; one cannot move without the other’,” said Dr Karembu.  “This profound wisdom reminds us that progress is best achieved when men and women work together in complementarity.”

The theme for this year’s International Women’s Day 2025 celebrations is ‘Accelerating Action for Gender Equality’.

By Peter Theuri, Digital Communications Officer, ISAAA AfriCenter