Listening to Africa's First Ladies

By Joseph Warungu from bbc.co.uk

Editor, BBC Network Africa

In recent weeks, I have been doing just what my mother said I should never do - eavesdrop. But perhaps she would not mind so much if she knew I had been privy to conversations of the first ladies at five seats of power in Africa.

Indeed, the candid interviews, conducted by the BBC Network Africa's Veronique Edwards, give a new perspective on the leaders of the continent and address issues ranging from power and politics to glamour and romance. Listening to Sierra Leone's Sia Koroma, Namibia's Penehupifo Pohamba, Ghana's Ernestina Mills, Zambia's Thandiwe Banda, and Uganda's Janet Museveni, the most striking thing is that these women care deeply about the condition of society.

First Lady Thandiwe Banda meets children from SOS children's village in Lusaka

As professionals in their own right, these women are actively promoting education and rural development and championing poverty eradication and the fight against HIV/Aids. Mrs Koroma and Mrs Pohamba are both experienced medical professionals while Mrs Banda and Mrs Mills are teachers.

Read the full article and listen to the interviews online.

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