By Aaron Dube
Vice President Justice Dr. Jane Ansah has been named to the Presidents Advisory Council of G100, one of the world’s most influential networks of women leaders.
She joins the council alongside sitting presidents, prime ministers, and a Nobel Peace Prize laureate.
The appointment was announced by the network this week and places Malawi’s second female Vice President among a select group convened to advise G100’s global leadership.
The council’s mandate is to advance the case for women’s leadership across governments, courts, and boardrooms worldwide.
It is a rare elevation for a Malawian public figure to a platform of this stature.
Among those Dr. Ansah now sits with are Judith Suminwa Tuluka, Prime Minister of the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Also on the council is Rosalia Arteaga Serrano, a former President of Ecuador.
Iveta Radicova, the first woman to serve as Prime Minister of Slovakia, is another member.
Oleksandra Matviichuk, the Ukrainian human rights lawyer whose organization was awarded the 2022 Nobel Peace Prize, also sits on the body.
Several serving first ladies, including those of Italy and Zimbabwe, are also members of the council.
For a country of Malawi’s size, the appointment carries significance beyond personal recognition.
It places one of the nation’s most senior office-holders inside a standing global network with direct access to heads of government and international institutions.
African representation in such forums remains limited, making the appointment particularly notable.
Officials close to the vice presidency say the role creates an opportunity to raise Malawi’s profile internationally.
It may also help draw attention and potential partnerships toward the country’s development priorities.
G100, chaired by entrepreneur Dr. Harbeen Arora Rai, describes itself as a network of 100 women leaders across as many sectors.
It is supported by national chapters around the world and by male allies it calls HeForShe champions.
The network campaigns for gender equality and for the fuller participation of women in political and economic life.
Its Presidents Advisory Council sits at the apex of that structure.
Dr. Ansah brings a substantial public service record to the council.
A retired Justice of Appeal and Senior Counsel, she has spent more than four decades in law and public service.
She graduated from the University of Malawi’s Chancellor College in 1978.
She later earned a master’s degree in international human rights.
In 2002 she received a doctorate from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom.
Appointed a judge of the High Court in 1997, she made history in 2006 as the first woman to serve as Attorney General of Malawi.
She held the position for five years, until 2011, before returning to the bench.
She then served as a Justice of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Appeal until her retirement in 2020.
Dr. Ansah has chaired the Malawi Electoral Commission.
She also served as president of the Electoral Commissions Forum of the Southern African Development Community, where she worked to strengthen cooperation among the region’s electoral bodies.
She has contributed to boards and committees within Malawi and the African Union.
Beyond the bench, Dr. Ansah is an author on human rights and legal development.
Her published work includes a study of the right to development in Malawian law.
A committed Christian, she serves as national overseer of Christ Citadel International Church.
She assumed the vice presidency in October 2025.
She stood as running mate to President Arthur Peter Mutharika of the Democratic Progressive Party in the general election held on 16 September.
She is the second woman to hold the office in the country’s history.
Her elevation to the G100 council now carries that distinction onto the international stage.
