Online Reporter
THE INTERVIEW
JOSEPH MADZIMURE
THE year 2025 was marked by significant achievements for the Zanu PF Women’s League, both domestically and internationally. To review these milestones, Zimpapers Politics Hub’s Joseph Madzimure sat down with the league’s Secretary for External Affairs, Cde Betty Nhambu-Kaseke, for a wide-ranging discussion focusing on women’s empowerment programmes. Below are excerpts of the interview
JM: The Second Republic has positioned the engagement and reengagement drive as the centrepiece of its foreign policy agenda. What role has the Women’s League External Affairs department played to support this drive?
BK: Engagement and re-engagement are vital in positioning Zimbabwe as a competitive and cooperative member of the global family. For the Women’s League, this agenda creates pathways for international markets, investment, training and partnerships.
JM: How has the Women’s League managed to tap into opportunities availed by the engagement and re-engagement drive?
BK: When Zimbabwe strengthens external relations, our women benefit directly, especially through export opportunities. If our women can produce chickens under the Presidential Poultry Scheme, engage in fish farming, or manufacture detergents, sewing, and beadwork, it allows us to export, scale, and link with international buyers.
Through engagement and re-engagement, Zimbabwe builds bridges instead of walls, ensuring we are fully integrated into regional, continental and global structures.
It helps attract investment, technology, training and modern production methods that uplift community livelihoods.
For women specifically, this means better access to global markets, allowing products from our empowerment programmes, such as poultry from the Presidential Poultry Scheme, clothing from the 610 sewing machines, detergents, beadwork, and fish farming products to find competitive export pathways.
Engagement strengthens trade facilitation, enabling women-led cooperatives and SMEs to scale, formalise and grow into export-ready enterprises.
It expands opportunities for education, cultural exchange, leadership training and mentorship, helping Zimbabwean women engage confidently in diplomacy and global affairs.
It reinforces the recent ZANU PF conference theme of production, meaning women are not just participating in the economy, but driving it.
Engagement also enhances Zimbabwe’s voice in international platforms, ensuring our women’s issues, rights, and aspirations are represented and respected globally.
JM: As we review the year, how would you assess the progress and tangible outcomes of women’s empowerment programmes in 2025?
BK: Great progress has been made across all provinces. Women have been empowered through agriculture, mining, manufacturing, digital skills, governance training and entrepreneurship.
This year alone, programmes have been rolled out in alignment with National Development Strategy 2’s priorities of economic empowerment, inclusive development and human capital growth.
Thousands of women have benefited from training in business and production, access to capital, skills development and growth of community-based industries.
This will make Zimbabwean women become engines of national progress.
JM: Looking at the league’s project portfolio, which initiatives are you most proud of for delivering not just assistance, but real, lasting transformation for women?
BK: The Women’s League has successfully initiated and supported a wide range of high-impact programmes, including Presidential Empowerment Programmes; Presidential Poultry Scheme targeting women and communities countrywide; Incubators for layers distributed nationwide to improve production; Sewing machines project, with 610 machines distributed so that each province can set up clothing and textile factories; Women’s League Presidential Empowerment Fund, launched nationally and now being rolled out to all provinces; Skills and enterprise development; Detergent-making projects; Bead-making programmes; Vocational skills training for tailoring, cosmetology, catering, and entrepreneurship; Agricultural and mining; Fish farming; Women in agriculture clusters; Women in mining safety and training initiatives.
The empowerment projects are not limited to Zanu PF Women’s League members or party supporters only. They are meant for every woman in Zimbabwe, even the girl child. When President Mnangagwa was voted into power, he became the President for everyone, including those in the opposition.
The empowerment programmes are all-inclusive, including churches, civil servants and even those in the private sector can benefit. New voters were also empowered to encourage civic participation and economic independence. These programmes continue to transform households and communities across the country.
JM: Do you have mechanisms to monitor the sustainability of the projects?
BK: Yes, of course. Sustainability is our core priority. Monitoring mechanisms include regular assessments at ward, district, and provincial levels; tracking productivity and income growth; continuous training and refresher courses; direct feedback from beneficiaries; collaboration with relevant ministries and local authorities; technical support to ensure projects remain profitable and digital-based monitoring tools and reports.
These systems ensure that the projects do not collapse, but grow into long-term industries that uplift families and communities.
JM: In 2026, what are the league’s strategic priorities for advancing women’s empowerment and what new initiatives can women expect?
BK: The year 2026 will be a year of consolidation and expansion. The Women’s League will focus on increasing industrial capacity in all provinces; launching provincial Women’s League Presidential Empowerment Funds; establishing sewing factories using the 610 machines distributed; strengthening poultry, fish farming, and detergent production at community level; expanding women-led SMEs to align with Vision 2030 targets; enhancing governance and political education for young women; and deepening international partnerships and export opportunities.
Zimbabwean women will continue to rise as builders, innovators and national pillars.
JM: What specific strategies or platforms is the league using to demystify geopolitics and make it more accessible and relevant to women across the country?”
BK: We are rolling out programmes that simplify global political trends and show their impact on Zimbabwean women. These include community workshops on global diplomacy and regional politics; digital lessons explaining how geopolitics affects trade, security, food systems, and women’s economic opportunities; exchange platforms with experts; and women’s study groups focusing on international cooperation and global markets.
An informed woman is empowered to participate meaningfully in both national and global affairs.
JM: How has the Second Republic assisted you to grow as an important wing of the party?
BK: First, we want to sincerely thank President Mnangagwa for championing women’s participation through the quota system, its extension, and the introduction of the youth quota. This demonstrates a clear commitment to gender inclusion and progressive leadership.
The President has consistently promoted empowerment, equal representation, and opportunities for women across all sectors.
Because of these policies, we now see, more women in Parliament, in councils and greater representation on boards and national committees. However, our journey continues. We aim for equity and equality meaning not only equal numbers, but equal access, equal opportunity and equal respect.
Women have the competence, patriotism, and commitment necessary to lead and we will continue pushing for full inclusion at all levels as Zimbabwe advances toward Vision 2030.
