Sierra Leone passes bill to make women a third of MPs

Parliament in Sierra Leone has unanimously approved legislation that will ensure that one in three of its members, and a third of all local councillors, are women.

The bill will now go to President Julius Bio to be signed into law.

Despite it being a key promise in his 2018 election campaign, it took three years for cabinet to approve the draft.

An earlier version was withdrawn over a technicality.

Currently only 19 of Sierra Leone’s 146 members of parliament are women.