Nagie Ndende Paves the Way for Women and Youth in the Republic of Congo

Nagie Ndende is a remarkable woman. At just 30 years old, she has earned her Master’s degree in comparative education and law and is one of only three women to earn a Ph.D. in Congo’s School of Law. Nagie is now a lecturer at Marien Ngouabi University and was just recently elected a Municipal Councilor of the La Cuvette Department. Departments in the Republic of Congo function somewhat like states in the U.S., and La Cuvette is roughly half the geographic size of Virginia.

Nagie’s educational journey has been challenging, to say the least. “The education system is hard to navigate in Congo”, she said, “University is not easy. I remember waking up and going to class at 2:00am to ensure I would have a seat for an 8:00am class – otherwise, there would be no room for me”. While pursuing her Ph.D., Nagie recalled how during her first year her class was made up of “3,000 people, then the second year it dropped to 700 people, then 150 the third year and now only 5 students remain”. To Nagie, no matter how difficult the journey, earning her degrees was essential. Her sights are now set on the political scene of Congo. 

Nagie explained that in Congo there are three main forms of government, each with increasing levels of power: the municipal government, parliament, and the president. “Back home [in Congo] every decision is made by politicians, counselors, and presidents – everything comes from the parliament – they have all the power”. Nagie has been registered with The Congolese Party of Labour since 2014. 

Nagie was with us at the Presidential Precinct when she learned that she had won the election for Councilor! Out of 46 Councilors elected across Congo’s different departments, Nagie is the youngest and one of the few women among mainly established male politicians in their 60s. She admitted that it was challenging to leave for the Mandela Washington Fellowship in the middle of her campaign. However, Nagie was able to make the best of her situation. 

Nagie believes that her participation as a Mandela Washington Fellow greatly increased support of her campaign. “My family, my brothers, my former students, JD [Orengo, 2022 Fellowship Alumnus from Kenya] even took pictures and videos from my Mandela Washington Fellowship and made compilations and campaign materials out of them. They went to different villages [in Congo], and showed the pictures and videos to people”!

Now that she’s elected and officially (and colloquially by other Fellows who came to the Precinct for their Fellowship) known as the Honorable Nagie, she is ready to make a difference in Congo. “I want to change things, to empower the women and young people in Congo to engage in the educational system and become more politically active. I want to inspire other young people, and show them that the power comes from above [politicians]. No one wants old politicians”. 

Nagie is focused on changing the educational system in Congo. “Politicians do not care about education. There is no proper implementation and it is important to the development of the country. There is not enough educational infrastructure in higher levels”.

Nagie also wants to put a spotlight on the role of women and their contribution to society. “The role of women is minimized, but we are very important. They give us small positions, they believe we are weak, or say women are refusing to be in politics – why do they think that is”? Nagie argues that women must be properly trained for politics, but they have no access, and slim educational prospects. 

Nagie is breaking this stigma. She was told she could not be a politician, that a woman could not be in congress. Now she is a municipal counselor, and in five years she will make a run for parliament. One day, Nagie hopes to be President of the Republic of Congo. 

For now, the Honorable Nagie Ndende is inspiring countless others in her community, young people, women, and her fellow Mandela Washington Fellows.

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The Mandela Washington Fellowship for Young African Leaders is a program of the U.S. State Department with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX. The Presidential Precinct is a sub-grantee of IREX and is implementing a U.S.-based Leadership Institute as a part of the Fellowship.