Africa cannot strengthen its global position if women are left out in political leadership and democratic processes.

These sentiments were shared by various speakers at the opening of the Democracy Union of Africa Women Conference in Windhoek on Monday.

In Africa, women have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in business, civil society, academia, and community development.

However, political participation remains more difficult for women than it is for men because, globally, women hold just over a quarter of parliamentary seats.

Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung Head of Regional Programme for Sub-Saharan Africa, Dr. Holger Dix, identified high nomination and membership fees as challenges preventing women, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, from partaking in politically related positions.

President PDM McHenry Venaani said women should not get positions as a form of tokenism.

"We must give real power to women so that when they are dealing with their issues, they must be allowed to lead and not be told what to do and how to lead. They must lead on their own position, and women can do that, and we must dedicate ourselves as men to make sure that we are not only people that are going to create a center stage for women and be able to lead on their behalf, but they themselves must lead. Gender equality is not a loss for men."

The DUA is a continental alliance of center-right political parties committed to promoting democracy, political cooperation, and democratic governance in Africa.

It is affiliated with the International Democracy Union, a global network of centre-right political parties.

The three-day conference seeks to address women's parliamentary representation, barriers to political participation, and strengthening their influence in democratic institutions.