The civil society has welcomed the appointment of Josephine Lagu to the position of Vice President and Chairperson of the Service Cluster, describing it as a significant step towards implementing the 35% women quota.
Lagu previously served as Minister for Agriculture and Food Security.
In a major decree announced on state television SSBC on Monday evening, President Salva Kiir removed Vice-President Hussein Abdelbaggi from the Service Cluster and Dr James Wani Igga from the Economic Cluster. Kiir also appointed Dr Benjamin Bol Mel as the Vice-President and Chair of the Economic Cluster.
The Executive Director of Women Foundation for Humanity Organization, Dorothy Ambrose Drabuga, noted that appointment of Lagu was of great importance, especially following calls for increased women representation.
Drabuga said the appointment was an answer to the calls raised by both parliamentarians and members of the civil society.
“I want to congratulate the President for giving that vice presidency position to a woman. You know, the MPs have been raising the issues, especially as far as the 35% affirmative action is concerned. They were complaining that often women were removed from positions and replaced by men,” Drabuga said.
She called on the President to increase the number of women in the top leadership.
“I must congratulate Josephine and also appreciate the President for that initiative, but I will ask him to do more. We want to see women in all levels of government”
Drabuga called on Lagu to ensure service delivery to the people, especially by picking from where her predecessor left.
Lona Merekaje welcomed the development, calling it an implementation of the commitment towards the women representation in the Presidency.
“It is a welcome move and we have to acknowledge that finally an extra female is included in the Presidency. I think that in terms of implementation of the commitments towards enhancing women participation, it is definitely a welcome move,” Merekaje said.
Merekaje said it was important that the voice of Lagu would be heard in the Presidency, especially during decision-making.
“It is not only a question of a woman being appointed, but is the woman’s voice going to be recognized?” she posed.
Merekaje further appealed to the media fraternity to also use appropriate language while reporting about the vice-president rather than describing her only as woman vice-president.