FIRST Lady Thandiwe Banda has appealed to women in Zambia to keep on updating their entrepreneurial and business management skills to effectively contribute to the development of the country.
Mrs Banda said by improving their skills women will make themselves available for influential positions not because men sympathise with gender but because they deserve the positions they aspire for.
“When you want something said, you ask a man and he will say it so convincingly and when you want something done, you ask a woman, and she does it so effectively,” she said.
Mrs Banda said this confirms women’s central position in national development in all African countries.
She was speaking at a Women’s Investment Portfolio Holdings (WIPHOLD) Gala dinner held at Hotel Inter-Continental in Lusaka on Friday night.
Mrs Banda said Zambia’s long-term development objective is to become a prosperous middle-income country by 2030.
She said this aspiration, as detailed in the national Vision 2030 document, will be attained through concerted and targeted interventions aimed at increasing growth, reducing poverty and improving the living standards of Zambians.
[pullquote]“When you want something said, you ask a man and he will say it so convincingly and when you want something done, you ask a woman, and she does it so effectively,” she said.[/pullquote]
She said it is not an exaggeration to state that women are indispensable players in the development of any country because of their God-given patience.
Mrs Banda urged women to work together towards Zambia’s economic development, as WIPHOLD continues to establish itself as a leading investment-holding and financial services group engaging women on pertinent issues.
At the same function, South African deputy high commissioner to Zambia Lukas Makwane said gender equality and women’s empowerment is central to achieving the millennium development goals, although there are still many areas of concern regarding economic empowerment.
Mr Makwena said women should be provided with access to credit so that they can build and own their businesses.
“Our Government recognises the importance of women to the development of the country and the region and has been putting relevant policies in place to support their participation in national building,” he said.
Mr Makwane said since 1994, South Africa has had great numbers of women’s group involved in various development activities such as construction, hospitality, retail, finance, mining and transport.
He said that Zambia is a very important partner for South Africa both politically and economically.
Mr Makwane said South Africa is trading more with Zambia than other countries in the Southern African Development Community.
He said his country has also a commitment of over US$700 million in terms of investment since 1994 and is likely to increase in light of the recently signed Memorandum of Understanding on Economic Co-operation by the two Governments.
Mr Makwane said South Africa will support any initiative that provides an avenue for women to achieve financial independence.
Minister of Commerce, Trade and Industry Felix Mutati said women can make a great change to the economic empowerment of the country as 80 percent of people involved in business are women.
Minister of Education Dora Siliya said this is the time for women to be rebranded through education for more national development.
Ms Siliya said there are many women in the country who have the potential help enhance economic development.
“When you empower a woman, the economy is truly revived in a woman,” she said.
WIPHOLD chief executive officer Louisa Mojela said women should not be left out of development programmes because they are drivers of such projects.
Ms Mojela said WIPHOLD has come to Zambia because the country has sound Government policies on development that support entrepreneurial and business management for women.
[Zambia Daily Mail]
May be a woman president would have done better than RB!:d
why is africa like this?
this woman, now that she is in the state house she has the calibre to tell women to improve their skills. she has been a primary school teacher who who never even thot of upgrading herself but to day she is reading written speeches like she has the spirit of empowering women.
just shup up and wait to be probed for the government salary you were drawing 6months after you had left the proffession. we are waiting for you. [-x
# 2, that is a below the belt shot. You make it sound like being a primary school teacher is waste of one’s time and yet, that is one of the most important jobs in developing future leaders. For the record, I do not like her husband and do not particularly care for her but I cannot think of a better way to empower a people other than thru education. And as a primary school teacher and wife to the village m*o*r*o*n RB, she probably did not have the means to upgarde but as soon as they got to state house and qualified for gov’t funding of her education, she upgraded her skills. I think she is qualified to talk empowerment.
First lady, Mother of the nation what next?
thandiwe, it might be best for you to try and be real. no one can improve their skills when the resources are not available – by the way what is a middle class country??????? why not aspire to be a rich country to the benefit of everyone.
“When you want something said, you ask a man and he will say it so convincingly and when you want something done, you ask a woman, and she does it so effectively,” she said
This statement has no justification whatsoever,someone more wise help me please,,,is she talking from experience,(maybe in the bedroom during PILLOWTALK) though whatever her Husband says has no Conviction either
wow that babe looks like she fell from mars
Thandie u should know beta than this, skills upgrade is just not easy to accomplish in Zambia.
You are only doing your upgrade now why is this? Same reason why everyone esle cant upgrade.
I think lets not just talk for the sake of it be real !
Very good advice but no solution so back to the same cheap talk.