Ansah pushes for greater women’s inclusion in decision‑making
First Vice‑President Jane Ansah has called for greater inclusion of women in decision‑making processes, saying women’s empowerment is critical to Malawi’s development. Speaking on Friday in Lilongwe during a meeting with a delegation from the Women’s Manifesto Movement, Ansah said most challenges women face stem from exclusion, despite being entitled to the same rights as … The post Ansah pushes for greater women’s inclusion in decision‑making appeared first on Nation Online.
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First Vice‑President Jane Ansah has called for greater inclusion of women in decision‑making processes, saying women’s empowerment is critical to Malawi’s development.
Speaking on Friday in Lilongwe during a meeting with a delegation from the Women’s Manifesto Movement, Ansah said most challenges women face stem from exclusion, despite being entitled to the same rights as men.
The delegation presented the Women’s Manifesto, which outlines women’s expectations of government and highlights concerns affecting women, including economic empowerment, land rights, water access, agriculture, health and socio‑cultural issues.
Ansah urged women to participate actively in leadership and governance, saying their involvement is essential to shaping national development.
I courtesy of the Office of the Vice‑President
“Drawing from my own experience as Malawi’s second female lawyer after the former Chief Justice Anastazia Msosa, I have witnessed the struggles women face, especially at grassroots level,” she said.
The Vice‑President stressed the need to invest in women’s education and economic empowerment, citing Rwanda as an example where such investment has contributed to increased female representation in public service.
“Women should be given equal rights and opportunities as men, and more investment should be made in women’s education and economic empowerment,” Ansah said.
She also identified gender‑based violence, limited access to education and health services, and poor infrastructure as major challenges affecting women.
“Women must remain united and continue advocating for their rights and inclusion in leadership positions. United we stand, divided we fall,” she added.
Maggie Kathewera Banda of the Women’s Manifesto and executive director of the NGO‑Gender Coordination Network described the meeting as productive.
“The manifesto contains themes on gender‑based violence, economic empowerment and other issues. With the Vice‑President also being a woman, we believe she will help advance the issues raised in the manifesto,” Kathewera Banda said.
She said the movement conducted consultations across all districts to ensure the manifesto reflects the needs of women nationwide and that the group is seeking an audience with President Peter Mutharika to present the document.
UN Women country representative Letty Chiwara said the meeting reflected women’s commitment to advancing gender equality and empowerment. She added that Ansah encouraged the group to first understand the challenges women face at community level so that interventions respond to real needs.
The Women’s Manifesto Movement covers 15 thematic areas, including education, leadership and governance, agriculture, peace and security, and access to resources.
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