ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Ethiopia’s new Cabinet is now a record 50 per cent female, including the country’s first woman defence minister, after lawmakers on Tuesday unanimously approved the nominations put forward by reformist Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed. “Our women ministers will disprove the old adage that women can’t lead,” Abiy said while presenting his choices. The Horn of Africa power joins a handful of countries, mostly European, where women make up 50 per cent or more of ministerial positions, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union and U.N. Women. French President Emmanuel Macron and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in recent years unveiled “gender-balanced” Cabinets. And Rwanda has received international recognition for female representation in government, with women making up 43 per cent of its Cabinet and 61 per cent of parliament members.

Source: Ethiopian News October 16, 2018 10:27 UTC