President Emmerson Mnangagwa has challenged the Zanu PF Women’s League to spearhead economic empowerment initiatives that improve household incomes and ensure development reaches every district and village across the country.
Addressing delegates at the Zanu PF Women’s League National Assembly in Harare, on Wednesday, President Mnangagwa said women must take advantage of Government empowerment programmes and champion projects that transform communities.
“The Zanu PF Government is anchored on women’s economic empowerment. It is party and Government policy that empowerment must be inclusive and reach every woman,” he said.
“The empowerment funds and programmes must reach every district. No woman or group of women with a viable project should be left behind because she lacks collateral.”
President Mnangagwa urged the Women’s League to formulate practical resolutions for the conference that respond to the needs and aspirations of women while supporting Zimbabwe’s broader development agenda.
He said Government was expanding funding opportunities for women through the Ministry of Women Affairs, Community, Small and Medium Enterprises Development, the Zimbabwe Women’s Microfinance Bank and the Small and Medium Enterprise Development Corporation (SMEDCO).
The President also called on women to take a leading role in agriculture by embracing mechanisation, climate-smart farming and agro-processing.
“Every province must work closely with the responsible Ministries, Departments and Agencies that relate to agriculture, mechanisation and water towards capacitating and training women on key aspects of farming as a business, agro-processing, finance and climate-smart agriculture,” he said.
On healthcare, President Mnangagwa said Government was scaling up investment in hospitals, medical equipment and personnel to improve service delivery, with particular emphasis on maternal health and cancer care.
“Government is gravely concerned with the number of deaths as a result of cancer. As such, the requisite investments and resources have been deployed for cancer screening equipment and treatment centres,” he said.
He urged the Women’s League to lead nationwide awareness campaigns encouraging early cancer screening, saying early detection saves lives.
The President also challenged women to intensify the fight against drug and substance abuse and support Government’s efforts to integrate mental health services into primary healthcare.
He said ongoing investments in roads, dams, schools, clinics and Village Business Units were designed to improve livelihoods and called on women to actively participate in driving these programmes.
Meanwhile, Zanu PF Women’s League Secretary, Mabel Chinomona, appealed for the release of empowerment funds pledged to the League last year, saying women across the country’s provinces had already opened bank accounts in anticipation of receiving the financing.
“Your Excellency, the Women’s League has not yet received the empowerment funds. The women across provinces have already opened their empowerment accounts,” she said.
She however welcomed President Mnangagwa’s pledge of 150 tractors for women, saying the equipment would be accessed through provincial structures with financing support from the Zimbabwe Women’s Microfinance Bank.
The meeting, held under the theme “Investing in Women, Transforming the Nation for Generations,” comes ahead of the party’s 23rd National People’s Conference scheduled for Chinhoyi in October.
