Reading · Women in Geopolitics

Can Africa achieve economic sovereignty while millions of the women already driving its economy remain largely invisible to the systems that measure, finance and shape it?

In her contribution to Women in Geopolitics, Dr Daisy Owomugasho brings the geopolitical conversation from global boardrooms directly to African households, farms, informal markets and rural production systems.

Drawing from her experience working with women in marginalised communities in Uganda, Dr Owomugasho argues that Africa has a fundamental visibility problem: women are already major economic actors, yet much of their contribution remains inadequately captured by formal economic measurements.

And when an economy is mismeasured, she warns, the policies designed for that economy risk being equally misaligned.

Her perspective also challenges us to rethink where geopolitics actually happens.

Global shifts in food prices, interest rates, climate, trade and finance may be negotiated at international tables, but their consequences are experienced every day by ordinary African households. Women, who are deeply involved in agriculture, informal trade and household economies, are often among the first to absorb these shocks.

As Dr Owomugasho powerfully puts it:

“What we call geopolitics is experienced by women as survival economics.”

For her, therefore, including women in Africa’s economic future is not simply a question of equality. It is an economic imperative.

She calls for a shift from inclusion to ownership — ownership of land, capital, data and value chains.

This becomes particularly important as Africa confronts its longstanding position at the lower end of global value chains: exporting raw commodities while importing higher-value finished products. From coffee and minerals to oil and agricultural products, Africa cannot build genuine economic sovereignty without capturing more of the value generated from its own resources.

And women must be part of that ownership.

Dr Owomugasho leaves us with a fundamental challenge:

Africa cannot build economic sovereignty from the top alone. It must begin with the households, enterprises, farmers, traders and women who are already building the continent’s real economy from the ground up.

Women in Geopolitics, Amplifying the Voices Shaping Africa’s Future.

The Women in Geopolitics Debate Series is a high-level thought-leadership platform dedicated to amplifying African voices, particularly women’s voices, in conversations on geopolitics, global affairs, governance, leadership and development.

Through dialogue with women leaders, diplomats, policymakers, business leaders, academics and experts from across Africa and beyond, the programme is building a growing archive of African women’s perspectives on the issues shaping our continent and our world.

We invite you to visit the Women in Geopolitics Knowledge Hub on YouTube, explore previous conversations and subscribe as we unveil a new voice every day throughout August.

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Madelein Mkunu is the President of Leading Women of Africa (LWA), a Pan-African social enterprise promoting women's leadership in economic development, and the founder of Beyond Boundaries, a global content and advocacy platform amplifying African women’s voices in policy, peacebuilding, and development. A bilingual English–French strategist and accomplished public speaker, she brings over 20 years of experience in gender mainstreaming, inclusive governance, and stakeholder engagement across Africa and globally. She holds an MBA and a Master’s in Management from IEDC-Bled School of Management (Slovenia), a Postgraduate Degree in Development Studies from the University of the Western Cape (South Africa), a Certificate in Leadership from the Dale Carnegie Institute, and is an alumna of Michigan State University’s Women Empowerment Programme. With a background in accounting and a passion for transformative change, Madelein is a trusted advisor to institutions seeking Africa-rooted development solutions.

Dr Daisy Owomugasho: Africa’s Economic Sovereignty Must Begin with the Women Building Its Real Economy

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