AAG launches Women’s chapter

Minister of State for Harare Provincial Affairs Miriam Chikukwa (right) addresses Affirmative Action Group Women’s executive members during the launch of the Women’s Desk in Harare yesterday. — Picture by John Manzongo

Farirai Machivenyika Senior Reporter
The Affirmative Action Group yesterday officially launched a Women’s Desk to enhance equal gender participation in the country’s economic development and eradicate poverty in line with Zim-Asset.The AAGWD was launched by Harare Metropolitan Province Minister Miriam Chikukwa, who commended the organisation for augmenting Government’s efforts in improving the plight of women.

“The approach being taken by the AAGWD augurs well with the Government’s Zim-Asset blueprint policy document’s two clusters namely: the social services and poverty reduction as well as the value addition and beneficiation which is always at the forefront of His Excellency, the President, in most of his speeches within the country, at regional and international functions and conferences,” said Minister Chikukwa.

“I, therefore, applaud you for the direction you have decided to take and at the same time I am challenging you to be courageous in all your efforts to empower your colleagues by penetrating into value addition and beneficiation ventures as a strategy to eradicate poverty and sustain development which in turn becomes a socio-economic empowerment tool.”

Head of the AAGWD Ms Saliwe Njolomole said their priority would be to offer women a platform to express themselves. “Women are born with power inside, but what we lacked was the platform to express ourselves,” she said. “The launch of the AAGWD is designed to empower women so that they realise their full potential.

“Our movement gives a platform to fight for women empowerment in every aspect of life be it social, economic and political.” AAG president Dr Chamu Chiwanza said women had been marginalised for a long time.

“The formation of the Women Desk is a dream I had since I became president of the AAG three years ago,” he said. “I realised that since the formation of the AAG in 1994, there has never been fair representation of women in the organisation.”

Dr Chiwanza said their main vision was to assist Zanu-PF and Government in their programmes to empower indigenous Zimbabweans.