Chronicle Editor
Harare August 23, 2024 (New Ziana) -The establishment of working spaces and initiatives to enable access to local and regional markets has resulted in an increase in women-owned businesses in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise (MSME) sector to above 50 percent, Vice President Kembo Mohadi said on Friday.
He was speaking at the inaugural High Level Women in Leadership Summit in Harare, which was held under the theme: “Accelerating Gender Parity through Collective Action: Strengthening Accountability and Solidarity to Transform Policies into Tangible Progress.”
“Safe working spaces for women entrepreneurs, factory shells and shopping malls have been established at various business centers, towns and cities across the country. As a result of these various interventions, the country has witnessed a phenomenal increase of women-owned businesses in the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprise sector which currently stands above 56 percent. This is fundamental as investing in women’s economic empowerment sets a direct path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive growth,” said VP Mohadi.
“The Government acknowledges the progress that has been made. We realize that the journey towards achieving gender parity is still far. The participation of women in leadership has remained low with women representation in national politics averaging one-third at all levels except in the Senate where there is 48 percent women representation.”
Several initiatives have been taken to promote gender equality and girls’ empowerment locally and globally such as the Africa Development Bank Gender Strategy 2021-2025 and locally, the National Development Strategy 1.
Zimbabwe has ratified a number of instruments including the Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW),
the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Maputo Protocol and the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, to promote gender equality
and the empowerment of women.
The government has also developed the National Gender Policy and the National Strategy for Women in Leadership and Decision Making as guiding
documents for the implementation of gender equality initiatives by all sectors.
“Resultantly, a number of initiatives have been undertaken by the Government in partnership with development partners, civil society, and the private sector towards the achievement of gender equality. Some of the measures include extending the quota system for women Parliamentarians from 2023 where it was supposed to end, to 2028. In addition to the Parliamentary quota, we have also expanded the quota system to the Local Government seats. This level of government is close to the people and inclusion of more women will ensure that their issues are brought to Central Government,” VP Mohadi said.
The government ensured that qualifying and eligible women are appointed to important decision making positions including the President of the Senate, Ministers, Attorney General, Prosecutor General, and permanent secretaries, he said.
VP Mohadi said the government was aware of the role that women are playing in key sectors such as agriculture, mining, tourism and manufacturing and has implemented various support initiatives to strengthen this position.
“The Government will ensure that gender equality becomes a key element of all of the work we do. As such we shall work closely with the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development and the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs to ensure that our laws are responsive of this critical component of development. We shall be looking holistically into our legal framework to identify gender equality gaps and provide legal and policy solutions for closing such gaps,” he said
He urged political parties should uphold the principle of gender equality which will ensure full women participation at national level.
New Ziana
Online Reporter