"Women Rise and Take Up Leadership Positions" - Councillor Christopher Habeenzu
The Local Government Association of Zambia (LGAZ) hosted a 2-day training workshop for women potential leaders in an effort to build their capacities to run for elective leadership positions at local government level.
The training was organised under the auspices of the Partnerships for Municipal Innovation -Women in Local Leadership ( PMI-WILL) project to equip women with relevant tools and knowledge they needed to effectively run for elective office at the local level. It brought together 53 women drawn from different districts in Lusaka province and a few from Southern.
The workshop was graced by LGAZ Vice President responsible for Lusaka Province who is also Chongwe Mayor , His Worship, Councillor Christopher Habeenzu. Councillor Habeenzu is also a gender champion.
He encouraged women to rise and take up elective leadership positions. He observed that despite Zambia showcasing an impressive record of multi-party democracy, free elections , and peaceful transitions of political power, the country is lagging on achieving women's equal and effective participation in political leadership.
He bemoaned a low proportion of women in elective positions in local government, currently standing at 7.9 percent, and stressed the need to tackle multiple barriers to women participation in governance. He urged the participants to apply the knowledge gained from training , citing that " knowledge is only powerful when it is applied.
About PMI-WILL Project. This is a six year (2021 to 2026) project being implemented by LGAZ in collaboration with the Federation of Canadian Municipalities (FCM) with support from the Canadian government. The project aims to enhance enjoyment of rights for women and girls, particularly those from marginalised groups, in Zambia and four other countries ( Benin, Cambodia, Ghana and Sri Lanka).
