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Zambia continues to lag behind in terms of women in political decision-making positions,Zambia National Women’s Lobby(ZNWL) has observed.
National Board Chairperson Daisy Ng’ambi said there were only 23 elected and nominated women out of 164 Members of Parliament representing 14 percent.
Ng’ambi indicated that there are about 142 women out of 1,858 councillors representing about 7.6 percent, 15 out of 116 mayors/council chairpersons representing 12.9 percent,
She further stated that there are five women out of 28 Cabinet Members representing 17.8 percent.
At provincial level, the country only has one female provincial minister out of 10, translating to 10 percent.
In a statement issued on Tuesday ahead of International Women’s Day (IWD) being held under the theme DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality.
She said for the number of women holding leadership and decision-making positions to improve in Zambia, there was need for increased affirmative action by all stakeholders who include the government, political parties, communities and the traditional leadership.
Ng’ambi said this was more possible now than ever before with increased knowledge of the benefits of including women in leadership and decision-making positions.
“Further, by proactively supporting women’s participation in politics, the next generation of women can also be attracted to consider a career in politics,” she said.
Ng’ambi said Zambia has assented to several regional and international instruments which advocate for equal participation and representation of women in decision making positions at all levels.
She said these include the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the African Union Protocol (AUP), and the Southern Africa Development Community Protocol (SADC).
At the national level, the country has amended the Constitution (2016), put in place a National Gender Policy (2014) and enacted the Gender Equity and Equality Act (2015), among several measures to promote gender equality.
She said all the pieces of legislation and policies were formulated with the conviction that equal participation of men and women is essential in the development of any country as it contributes to a well-balanced social, economic, cultural and political co-existence.
Ng’ambi said it was important for women and men to be responsible for decisions affecting their lives, their families and the nation.
She said there was need to critically review the extent and impact of the digital gender gap and look for ways in which to bridge the gap.
Contributed by: Julius Phiri
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