First Lady Esther Lungu says women should be empowered with entrepreneurial skills because they play a pivotal role in the eradication of hunger and poverty in communities.
Mrs Lungu said more women should be empowered with skills because they are the backbone of most households.
She said this in Lusaka yesterday when she opened a two-day policy dialogue forum organised by the Self Help Africa (SHA) under the theme : “Enhancing women’s
entrepreneurship”.
“Meaningful economic development cannot be attained in this country without the involvement of women. We can only
attain the much-needed development with the involvement of women because they contribute about 70 percent to the country’s labour force.
“It is, therefore, imperative that we create sustainable entrepreneurship skills for women so that we can achieve meaningful development in the country,” Mrs Lungu said.
The First Lady also called for affirmative action on women’s issues by all stakeholders if the country is to see a stop in negative trends such as gender-based violence (GBV) and early marriages.
Mrs Lungu said once deliberate steps are made to empower women, the country will see positive developments among women and children.
And SHA country director Kalongo Chitengi commended the First Lady for making in-roads on creating partnerships with organisations that will help improve the status of the girl child and women.
Ms Chitengi said her organisation is happy that Mrs Lungu has been instrumental in helping to uplift the living standards of women in the country.
She said SHA is touched by the humility of Mrs Lungu and her efforts to reach out to the vulnerable in society and further assured the First Lady that the organisation will support her in her efforts. - Zambia Daily Mail
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