A summit that was held in Harare on 31 March 2022 under the theme “more women in business for real economic growth” has shown that gender equality is a key ingredient for inclusive, sustainable economic development.
The event was organized jointly by the UN in Zimbabwe and the Women in Africa Initiative Zimbabwe Chapter. It brought together representatives from the government, development partners, and youth groups partnering under Spotlight Initiative.
The meeting realised that March (the Women’s Month) came to an end but encouraged stakeholders to work all the time in pursuit of reaching a 50-50 representative society by 2030.
Anita Jackson, Amara Brown, Gemma Griffiths were among some reputable female artists who entertained guests.
Gemma Griffiths (L) entertaining guests
In her keynote address, Hon Mabel Chinomona, the President of the Senate, who was representing the Guest of Honour, First Lady Auxillia Mnangagwa, alluded to a number of projects being undertaken by her organisation, Angel of Hope, to advance the rights of girls and young women and other less privileged members of the community
“The First Lady formed the Angel of Hope Foundation in 2018. It is premised on assisting Zimbabwean people from rural areas, the underprivileged, the elderly, child-headed families, and the girl child. Angel of Hope Foundation promises to continue to assist with the accessibility of healthcare products to the Zimbabwean populace. Our programmes extend to children’s homes. In Chiredzi, we founded a shelter and we have housed them at Chambita Children’s Home. There are plans to build a vocational centre. Currently, we are sending the boys to school. We have also embarked on building the first-ever mother and child hospital in Tynwald.
“The foundation also buys school uniforms for the underprivileged children and has furnished compound schools. Our programmes are ongoing and the foundation relies on well-wishers for continuity. We have done COVID-19 awareness workshops for the elderly, PWDs, and always donate groceries for them. A majority of citizens in the country are struggling to access adequate medicine. Under our reusable sanitary pads project, we have given materials and machines for girls and young women to make their own pads. We identify the needy in communities and donate pads to them,” Hon Chinomona said.
The foundation also runs the Boer goat rearing project for Chiefs’ wives to empower women in rural communities through sale of milk and goats.
The Angel of Hope Foundation’s school feeding programme has resulted in improved nutrition among children in rural areas as well as a boost in school attendance. It has also embarked on detergents making project for self-sufficiency among the wives of security sector officers.
The Foundation has also been running a greenhouse project for various groups of women including wives of ZRP officers. It has been working on modernising the San community in Kanyemba and linked them to the modern world by constructing a clinic for them. The foundation insisted there is a need for ICT centres and runs a national GBV call centre with toll-free line 575.
Speaking on the same occasion, the owner of Amara’s Health Spa, Laureen Adam who is also the Ambassador of the Women in Africa Initiative Zimbabwe Chapter, said her organisation believes that women have the ability to fight for their rights.
Laureen Adam
“As we strive to provide exemplary leadership, we support and have a dedication to improving the status of women in agriculture where the workforce are women. The women in that sector need the training to run successful commercial farms. We empower women and girls in the agricultural sector. We encourage the government to remove obstacles faced by women farmers,” Adam said.
EU Ambassador to Zimbabwe, His Excellency Timo Olkkonen said he recognizes the role folktale plays in the country in educating children about morals. He alluded to the story of the hare that is reflected as always outsmarting the baboon.
“There is a moral code to the folktale and it calls on us to respect each other despite religious differences. Zimbabwe and the rest of the world celebrated March as the international month of women but we regret the aggression against women and children in Ukraine. There are sad and tragic stories of women suffering in Europe and in conflicts everywhere else around the world.
“For us, gender equality is among EU founding values and is imperative for economic growth and prosperity. Gender equality is at the centre of the EU development framework. We will ensure that 85% of EU development initiatives will be biased towards gender equality by 2025. So far, through the Spotlight Initiative, the EU invested IS$30 million to end violence against women and girls. We also implemented a strategy to end sexual harassment and gender-based violence in the workplace in partnership with the International Labour Organisation (ILO),” Ambassador Olkkonen said.
He said Zimbabwe’s 2013 Constitution provides a key legal framework to support gender equality but sadly noted that the violation of women and girls occurs every day. He applauded efforts by First Lady Auxilia Mnangagwa in pursuit of addressing gender inequalities.
He alluded to the study by OECD that a 50% reduction in GBV results in significant GDP growth while closing the gender gap adds US$28 trillion to the global GDP.
Mr Edward Kallon, the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Zimbabwe said women work hard to educate their children hence there is an urgent need to empower them.
Mr Edward Kallon
“There is an urgent need to involve women in business if we are to achieve real economic growth as espoused by SDG5 that focuses on women’s empowerment. We need to integrate women into the mainstream social and political-economic spheres of society. Advocacy on global gender equality is a cornerstone for achieving the 2030 Agenda. We should spotlight women in driving the economy by expanding their opportunities as espoused in the 2022-2026 UN Development Agenda.
“As I toured Bulawayo and Matebeleland North provinces, Irealised that women face a plethora of challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic has had a negative impact on women’s businesses. As a panacea, we are implementing the safe markets programme to ensure women’s resilience in the midst of the challenges. Women should be trained in entrepreneurship development. THERE should be nothing for women without women. In our endeavour, we should strive to address adverse social norms, stereotypes perpetuating inequality among women and me,” Mr Kallon said.
Edinah Masiyiwa, the Director of the Women’s Action Group (WAG) said women’s empowerment is a process leading to women gaining confidence and control of resources, the ultimate of which results in them gaining economic rights and the enjoyment of human rights.
She highlighted that the legal frameworks in the past didn’t favour women. For example, they were arrested for loitering. Moving forward, she said there is a need for women to be given access to health services to address issues like high maternal mortality that are a barrier to economic development.
Hopolang Phororo, the ILO Director for Zimbabwe and Namibia called on stakeholders to work towards the economic empowerment of women by encouraging them to be productive. In that realm, Phororo said women should have access to land and other productive resources and assets. She encouraged women to have self-confidence, be assertive and embrace training to scale up their skills in order to make a positive impact in society.
“As first female ILO Director for Zimbabwe and Namibia, I proved I was fit for the job. I embraced courageous leadership and charted a new paradigm for the way forward. Traditionally, women in positions of leadership are expected to be motherly figures. I chose to be assertive, and original in my approach,” Phororo said.
Nigel Mugamu, the founder of and storyteller at 263Chat, representing allies for gender equality, said he is committed to empowering the girl child.
“My girl child is behind my inspiration to run 263Chat. My daughter is 8 years old and I have a one-year-old son. Asked who will be my heir, I said if my daughter decides to be in business, I will support her dream,” Mugamu said.
Chelsea Evans, Women in Africa Initiative laureate said having female earners improves the home, healthcare, and education.
“Having women in business has a roll-on effect and a multigenerational impact. If women are empowered and employed, they are more likely to send their children to school and offer health services to their families,” Evans said.
