BY MUNYARADZI BLESSING DOMA
Women are the chief architects of equality and they should realise that power which they seek and deserve, will never be given to them on a silver platter; Minister of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Senator Monica Mutsvangwa has said.
Minister Mutsvangwa added women should also support each other to lead, as they are capable and are equally responsible to shape the country’s future.
She said this on Thursday, the first day of the High-Level Women in Leadership Summit, which is being held in Harare.
The summit which is ending this Friday, is running under the theme“Accelerating Gender Parity through Collective Action: Strengthening Accountability and Solidarity to Transform Policies into Tangible Progress”.
“It is heartening to see that women have realised that as women ourselves, we can be the chief architects of equality, as power will never be given to us on a silver platter, we have to claim it!
“Your support will not go in vain and I believe we shall continue to walk together on the road to a future where a woman’s right to lead is not questioned but celebrated; where young girls can dream without limits; and where we can finally say, with unwavering conviction, that the playing field has been levelled,” she said.
Minister Mutsvangwa further revealed that the summit which is being attended from women from various sectors, should not be just a mere talk show, but should foster ways to increase women’s participation in leadership and decision making.
“I however want to highlight that the annual women in leadership summit should not just be a routine event, but a ‘National Platform’ for; annual agenda-setting and interaction on opportunities to increase women’s participation in leadership and decision-making; to ensure accountability on gender equality and women empowerment and to provide a platform for forming strong coalitions, networking and knowledge sharing for women leaders.
“As we deliberate during the next two days, let us avoid another talk show but rather an outcome that brings change in the lives of the women that we represent,” she said.
The minister added that it was good to note that the country’s 2013 Constitution’s gender positive attributes were a source of great pride as it is an instrument to put forward the holistic inclusion of women and the girl child in the full spectrum of socio-economic endeavors.
She however noted that despite the different legal and policy frameworks, women are still underrepresented in leadership and decision-making positions, in boardrooms of public and private sector organizations, in Parliament, and on several decision-making platforms.
She noted that it was good to acknowledge some advances that have been made like the striving for 50-50 gender parity.
“As we strive to achieve 50-50 gender parity in politics and other areas, we should acknowledge efforts achieved this far.
“This includes the extension of the women’s parliamentary quota and the introduction of the quota system at the Local Government level.
“His Excellency, the President, Comrade E.D Mnangagwa has also appointed women to strategic leadership positions namely; The President of Senate, the Attorney General, the Prosecutor General, Chairperson of ZEC, Chairperson of Mutapa Investment Fund, Chairperson of Zimbabwe Gender Commission among others.
“His Excellency, President Mnangagwa has also appointed a considerable number of women as Ministers, Deputy Ministers, Permanent Secretaries and Ambassadors.
“We have started somewhere and we hope the trajectory towards increasing women in leadership sustained,” she said.
Turning onto women’s economic empowerment; she also acknowledged that several women had made it and excelled after venturing into previously male-dominated business areas.
She appluaded women who have made it in various business areas such as; engineering, mining, ICT, security, Finance, Insurance, manufacturing and others.
Minister Mutsvangwa however said there was still more to be done, as women still face several challenges.
“It is however important to note that women still face challenges with regard to equitable access to credit, financial services, infrastructure, markets.
“Economic marginalisation also prevents a lot of women from participating in politics, a domain which has been highly commercialised.
“This also explains why the private sector must be mobilized as a key partner in this endeavour,” she said.
In order to promote gender equality, Minister Mutsvangwa also gave several suggestions, including proposing for the setting up of a National Academy of Gender Studies at all universities.
She also proposed that the Women’s University should host the National Chair of the Gender Academy.
She added that the Gender Academy should identify role models and cast them as pace-setters as their case studies will be highlighted for easy and fast emulation saying “the human mind learns faster by example.”
“The National Gender Academy would pool knowledge and practice and set high standards in all areas of study, including in the emergent knowledge tools of Artificial Intelligence and the Digital Economy.
“We need to accelerate the slow pace of rural work space provision for our women, bearing in mind that the majority of the population is still rural, and hence the slow pace implementation gives poor rewards and perpetuates rural poverty.
“Every effort must therefore be made to lessen the drudgery of the rural economy which inordinately weighs down the woman and the girl child.
“We must seize on the advances in technological progress to deliver light and energy through harnessing solar power, strive to have on-site potable water through boreholes, provide appropriate solar powered vehicle mobility, ensure easier access to markets, furnish digital cloud-based education and strive for universal financial inclusion.
“This avenue must consequently speed up the drive to climate proof farming through rewarding and innovative research and development.
“Pfumvudza, fish acqua-culture, village business units must be adopted and finessed to improve livelihoods by lessening the burden on women,” she said.
The minister further revealed that there was need to take a closer and studied look on the small to medium enterprises sector such that all incentives are availed to grow this all-important sector that constitutes 60-80 per cent of Gross Domestic Product.
She added that women and the girl child are the majority anchors of the SME sector.
And she also revealed that Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) subjects should be pushed more for education by the girl child.
“Science and technology create the goods and services that define wealth in society.
“It is vital to dispel gender stereotypes about access to science and technology.”
Minister Mutsvangwa added further there was need to forge intergenerational connections, ensuring that the vision which was being articulated, resonates with and inspires the next generation of leaders, the young women.
“As we look forward, we must also never forget the historical antecedence of the liberation struggles that have bequeathed to us this foundation on which our empowerment is based.
“We must recall the high-water mark of these epic struggles that was attained during the Chimurenga-Mvukelo National Liberation War.
“We must commit to memory the experiences of the heightened patriotic consciousness of the 1960-70s Samora Machel- Soweto Generation, that witnessed thousands of young women abscond the privileges of schooling to join and hurl themselves into the anti-colonial, anti-racist and anti-apartheid militant fight against the entrenched racist settler minority rule in the southern tip of Africa.
“The prosecution of the various asymmetric guerrilla wars of necessity obviated the full inclusion and participation of the other female gender half of the populace.
“Otherwise, the victory of the scientific People’s Wars would simply not have been attainable if it had been prosecuted with only the male gender participating,” she added.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr Mavis Sibanda said thesummit’s objectives were, “to provide a platform to take stock of progress made towards the achievement of gender parity in women’s participation in decision-making and economic empowerment, interrogate emerging gaps, and devise strategies and innovative approaches to achieve gender parity in line with the national, regional and global commitments and targets.
“To Leverage on Zimbabwe’s SADC Chairmanship as women leaders and drive the Regional momentum for Women’s Leadership and Gender Parity.
“To provide a platform for us to engage with duty bearers to promote accountability to translate policy into action by disseminating a Communique with a set of key strategies and actions on promoting women’s participation in leadership and decision-making, economy and the private sector to duty bearers.
“To promote solidarity among women leaders, exchange of ideas and experience-sharing on women’s participation in leadership and decision-making and women’s economic empowerment.
“Facilitate strategic and constructive male engagement and retention of gender-sensitive male champions who will spearhead advocacy on women’s equal participation in decision-making and economic spheres.
“To take stock of progress made in translating policy into action to enhance women’s participation in leadership and decision-making and economic empowerment as a follow up to the 2023 high-level Intergenerational Dialogue on Women’s Political Participation and Women’s Leadership.”
