Growin’, growin’ like a baobab tree
Life for a woman in West Africa is shorter than most. In Benin, Togo, Sierra Leone and Gambia, Sylvia Arthur spoke to 100 women who defied the odds to live long, and prosper.
Sylvia Arthur
For 10 years, Salamatu Bangura’s husband beat her almost daily. The last time, she couldn’t walk for three days.
“That was the last straw ,” says the small-scale trader in Freetown, Sierra Leone. She left him, and believes this saved her life: “I have no husband but I am happier. I finally have peace of mind.”
Bangura, 64, is part of a growing but rare group: West African women who live to see old age. At 59, their average life expectancy is the lowest in the world – 16 years below the global average, six years below Africa’s average.
Complications from pregnancy and childbirth remain the leading cause of death – one in three girls becomes a mother before age 18. Gender-based violence, child marriage, and female genital mutilation remain widespread, each harming women’s health. Infectious diseases such as HIV and malaria also take their toll.
The women who live beyond these odds have no magic formula for longevity, but many are challenging stereotypes, reclaiming opportunities denied to them, and seeking a simple, self-sufficient life rooted in their own values rather than societal expectations.
Catherine Apanga, 63, a retired Togolese computer programmer, believes lifestyle change is key: she has lost friends to preventable illnesses. “With old age, we’ve come to realise that there’s a whole culture around nutrition: you need to drink lots of water, eat plenty of fruits and vegetables, and exercise.”
Childhood hardship could easily have taken Ajaratou Louise Jobe’s life early. As a teen, she worked odd jobs to survive. “God made me a hustler; I’ve always had people who relied on me,” she says. “I did not play with my life. I didn’t have time.” Jobe credits adaptability for her longevity. At 71, she still runs a fashion business and engages in local politics, which keeps her mentally active.
Catherine Gagnanto, 65, a former teacher from Grand-Popo, Benin, says social connection is her secret. She keeps in touch with lifelong friends on WhatsApp. “Now that we're retired, we like to spend time together.”
Living longer is one thing. Living well is another. When things are going well, old age is just... life.
“I don’t see myself as old,” says Edwige Akakpo, 65, a former lab technician. “People think when you’re older, you’re done. But as long as you have strength, it’s not over yet.”
Hardship changes the equation.
Kossiwa Dablaka, in her 70s, washes dishes in Lomé for $25 a month. Two years ago, her daughter died, leaving two children, aged eight and 11. “I’m the only one looking after them,” she says. “I have no choice but to work.”
Many older women in West Africa share this struggle – outliving peers and descendants while caring for dependants without social safety nets.
Africa’s older population is projected to triple in coming decades, making its challenge is twofold: reduce early deaths and prepare for longer lives.
A new African Union protocol on the rights of older persons, in force since last year, calls for better healthcare and social protection. So far, only 15 of the AU’s 55 member states have ratified it – but advocates see it as a good start.