0%
of finance ministers globally are women
Leadership. Authority. State Capability.
Strengthening economic governance by turning talent into authority.
WEGI is a pan-African leadership agenda designed to help institutions move beyond symbolic representation and widen real authority in the ministries, central banks, regulators, and policy forums that shape economic outcomes.
Based on the proposal outlined by Elsie Addo Awadzi
Oxford Blavatnik School of Government | April 24, 2026
The evidence is clear
The issue is not whether capable women exist. It is whether institutions translate proven talent into decision-making power.
0/41
African central banks are led by women in 2026
0%
of cabinet roles across Africa are held by women
0%
of top executive roles in Africa are held by women
The Challenge
The gap is not just representation. It is authority.
Economic institutions are facing debt stress, climate pressure, demographic change, technological disruption, and more frequent policy shocks. Leadership systems that draw from narrow pools of authority are taking on avoidable institutional risk.
The Oxford framing behind WEGI argues that progress stalls less because of a pipeline shortage and more because appointment systems, sponsorship norms, committee access, strategic portfolio allocation, and workplace expectations still block progression into senior office.
Where women are present but excluded from agenda-setting mandates, crisis leadership, or budget control, institutions gain optics without gaining the full benefits of broader judgment, deeper succession benches, and stronger decision-making under uncertainty.
Institutions cannot fly with one wing.
Elsie Addo Awadzi, Oxford BSG
Our Approach
Three interventions. One structural shift.
WEGI works across policy people, institutional systems, and public evidence so the move from technical excellence to leadership authority becomes visible, measurable, and durable.
01
Fellowship
Expands the pool of credible candidates at the threshold of senior leadership through executive readiness, strategic visibility, sponsorship, and peer connection.
02
Leaders' Circle
Engages incumbent leaders and institutions in practical dialogue on succession systems, sponsorship norms, decision-rights, and measurable commitments to structural change.
03
Dialogue and Evidence Platform
Uses applied research, rankings, data, and narrative visibility to track progress, reward momentum, and normalize stronger leadership pipelines across economic governance.
Programs
Building a stronger network of economic leaders and changemakers.
The initiative is designed for the people and institutions shaping macroeconomic policy, financial sector stability, fiscal credibility, and long-horizon reform across Africa.
Ministries of Finance
Central Banks
Regulators
Fiscal Councils
Policy Schools
Development Finance Institutions
WEGI Fellowship
Executive readiness at the edge of senior office
A leadership pathway for high-potential women who are close to major appointments and need stronger visibility, sponsorship, and institutional traction.
WEGI Leaders' Circle
Action-oriented dialogue with current decision-makers
A forum for leaders and institutions to tackle succession planning, portfolio allocation, committee leadership, and the cultural barriers that keep authority narrow.
WEGI Evidence Platform
Data that shifts incentives, rankings, and norms
Applied research and visible benchmarks that help institutions measure whether representation is translating into real influence where it matters most.
Why this matters
Africa's next decade depends on deeper leadership benches.
Debt management, domestic revenue mobilization, industrial policy, financial sector resilience, and shock response all depend on capable institutions. Expanding women's pathways into authority is not peripheral to development strategy. It is part of state capability.
Institutional performance
Wider authority pools reduce the predictable weaknesses that come from groupthink, fragile succession, and over-reliance on familiar networks.
Decision quality
Economic governance gains from stronger deliberation, broader expertise, and more credible leadership in periods of uncertainty and reform.
Long-term resilience
Inclusive leadership pipelines help institutions absorb shocks, sustain reform momentum, and retain talent where strategic mandates are most consequential.
Brief
A stronger Africa needs more women in charge.
This landing page is based on the April 24, 2026 Oxford Blavatnik School of Government essay, Flying with two wings: Africa's opportunity to strengthen economic governance, which introduces the proposed Women in Economic Governance Initiative.