Dowa Women councillors trained to help shape policies in district councils

Deputy Minister of Local Government, Halima Daudi on Tuesday said government will continue supporting women councilors by providing a conducive and enabling environment to ensure they make meaningful contribution to the communities they serve.

Daudi was speaking in Dowa District when she officially opened a two-day training workshop for women councilors drawn from all the districts across the country.

She said it was easier for women councilors to understand issues that affect women and girls.

The deputy minister then urged them to bring their experiences to the council and influence debate and legislative agenda of their council basing on their experiences in day-to-day life as women.

She said women participation in politics ensures that their perspectives contribute to shaping policies, priorities, strategies, plans and budgets of government to enhance gender responsiveness.

Daudi, therefore, urged women councilors to be role models for girls and women aspiring for political leadership, saying only women can descriptively inspire other women and girls through sustaining the wishes, needs and interests of the female population.

“Councils must start to systematically plan, budget and implement all development programs with gender. As a country, we have not invested sufficiently in gender equality,” she said.

She said the training workshop was an opportunity for women councilors to sharpen their skills and enhance their knowledge and understanding of issues affecting women and girls.

The deputy minister then commended development partners such as UN Women, Oxfam in Malawi, Gender Justice Unit and Malawi Local Government Association (MALGA), for tirelessly supporting government in its effort to build the capacity of women councilors in Malawi.

In his remarks, MALGA’s Executive Director, Charles Chunga, said the training workshop is a follow-up to the meeting the association had last year in October with the women councilors to understand their capacity gaps and needs.

“We designed this particular training workshop to address some of the gaps mentioned by the women councilors last year.

“They requested for leadership skills, especially in budget tracking and financial management and also ICT skills to enable them influence change and mobilise support,” said Chunga.

Councilor Ivy Sande of Mayiwa Ward in Mangochi expressed hope that the training would increase their knowledge on effective leadership, gender mainstreaming and gender responsive budgeting and planning, saying they would now understand gender- related laws and policies.