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Tendai Rupapa

Senior Reporter

FIRST LADY Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa’s ingenuity and solution-based approach to uplifting women has left the world spellbound and earned her glowing tributes from women across the globe who are willing to take a leaf from her programmes and replicate them in their respective countries.

Influential women from Indonesia, Turkey, Lebanon, Ghana and South Africa, among other countries, spoke glowingly about the First Lady’s work.

They were impressed by her Agric4She initiative and commended the partnership between her Angel of Hope Foundation and Zimbabwe Open University (ZOU) empowering womenfolk with courses in various fields.

The women attending the round table discussion on “National Strategies for women: Investing in economic empowerment”, during the XXIV Yasin International Academic Conference on economic and social development in Moscow, Russia, also commended the potato farming project that was launched by the First Lady recently saying it would give women a stake in the production of the crop.

In a speech read on her behalf by the Deputy Minister of Environment, Climate, Tourism and Hospitality Industry Barbara Rwodzi, the First Lady gave insights into the work that she is doing.

The First Lady also outlined opportunities that the Government of Zimbabwe had opened up in various sectors for women to freely participate.

She said the event came at an opportune time when the world had just celebrated Women’s Month in recognition of the role women play in shaping the world. Women, Dr Mnangagwa observed, contribute enormously to the growth of economies as entrepreneurs, employees, and as complementary leaders in their households.

“They are also the ultimate agents of aggregate demand, accounting for 70 percent of global consumer spending. In Zimbabwe, the New Dispensation under the leadership of His Excellency, the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe Dr ED Mnangagwa, women have been included in decision-making positions,” she said.

Awareness on basic women’s rights, Dr Mnangagwa said, had intensified with strict measures on those violating them.

“Indeed all women from grassroots level to leadership positions have been empowered. Ladies and gentlemen, what is Zimbabwe doing to ensure women are economically empowered? Under the Zimbabwe five year national development plan, the National Development Strategy 1 (2021-2025), Government sets gender mainstreaming as a key priority to ensure women are economically empowered through visible initiatives that confer equal opportunities.

“Some of the interventions being implemented include, among others: operationalisation of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission to spearhead the gender agenda, enactment and popularisation of the domestic violence act, to combat gender based violence, prioritisation of resource allocation and disbursement to women empowerment programmes, capitalisation of the women’s microfinance bank. Introduction and enforcement of policies for free maternal health care services, with the objective to reduce maternal mortality rates,” she said.

Amai Mnangagwa said there were also other various ways with catalytic and multiplier impacts on the lives of women and girls that Zimbabwe is pursuing. These, she said, included: investing in the girl child as a breakthrough strategy for women empowerment.

“Specifically, the Government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Education has come up with a number of initiatives to ensure that the girl child is kept in school. Such initiatives include provision of food, school fees, sanitary wear and other related needs for girls, particularly those from economically disadvantaged families.

“These programmes, among others, have contributed to 4 of 9 high pass rates among girls compared to their male counterparts. Improving access to sexual and reproductive health information and services: the Government of Zimbabwe through the Ministry of Health and Child Care and Zimbabwe Family Planning Council together with their partners are implementing policies and practices which promote women’s ability to control her sexual and reproductive health. “This has given women autonomy, equality, and reduced vulnerability to HIV and Aids as well as children’s health, promoting women’s economic participation, their ownership and control over productive assets speeds up development and helps eradicate poverty and reduce inequalities,” the First Lady said.

She said the Government of Zimbabwe had opened up a number of opportunities in various sectors for women to freely participate.

“A number of women organisations have been formed in sectors such as mining, agriculture and construction to further their interest. It is important to note that mining, which constitutes the subsoil economy, and agriculture, which constitutes the topsoil economy are the basis of economic emancipation of nations.

“Therefore, developing capacity to exploit these natural assets by women is a sustainable way to inclusive economic growth. In order to ensure women’s access to finance, the Government of Zimbabwe has deliberately set up the women micro finance bank.

“The bank is designed to stimulate credit, savings and increase awareness on financial education and investment among women. Thus, combined with the access to the subsoil and topsoil economy, access to finance provides the means to total women emancipation and therefore to inclusive and sustainable national development.

“Identifying and supporting women at leadership levels, to bring change to families, communities and countries, it is critical that women are recognised,” she said.

In the case of Zimbabwe, she said, the Government had come up with a number of initiatives to train women in work places to take up next roles and also to take up political positions.

Through advocacy, there had been recognition of the need to ensure equal representation in Parliament and other political leadership positions.

“Gender budgeting: a budget is a powerful tool to meet the needs of the  marginalised. In Zimbabwe, the Government has started publishing the gender budget.

“This has gone a long way in helping to measure and monitor whether women and girls have access to the services they need, including health, education, agriculture, clean water, among others. The Government has instilled boreholes and rigs in both urban areas and rural areas, ensuring no one is at the periphery of development. All women have access to clean water in order to undertake their farming and other micro industrial projects,” she said.

As the patron and founder of Angel of Hope Foundation, Dr Mnangagwa said she had complimented the upliftment and inclusion of women in contributing economically to the development of the nation.

Deputy Minister Barbra Rwodzi who is representing First Lady Dr Auxillia Mnangagwa poses for a photograph with guest speakers from Austria, Indonesia, Russia, Turkey, Ghana, Lebanon, and South Africa at a round table discussion on National Strategies for women during the XXIV Yasin International Academic Conference in Moscow

“I launched programmes such as Agriculture4She, where women are given inputs to farm commercially since Zimbabwe is an agrarian nation.

“I recently launched the national potato farming programme  aimed at putting women at the forefront of potato farming from the first generation seed to the last stage of the potato production.

“I also partnered with the Zimbabwe Open University to ensure free education for all women and financial literacy courses along with the courses of their choice to ensure that they succeed in applying their knowledge for production and profit,” she said.

Amai Mnangagwa told the conference that she works with other women in decision-making positions encouraging them to work with those at grassroots level in uplifting and bettering their lives leaving no one behind.

“I know that all women are leaders. It is therefore befitting that from the household to the boardroom all women are recognised and empowered.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I wish to conclude by stating that promoting women economic participation is critical in setting the path towards gender equality, poverty eradication and inclusive economic growth. This is a sure way to change families, communities and countries for the better,” she said.

Participants from other countries said they were touched by the great work the First Lady is doing towards ensuring that women get into positions of influence and how she brings women together were also hailed.

Mrs Hadriani Uli Ida Silalahi, the chairperson of Women20 from Indonesia, applauded the First Lady’s initiative for partnering ZOU in ensuring women get basic education on how to run their businesses.

“The First Lady of Zimbabwe is closing a very important gap which has a positive impact on women’s performance in business.

“The initiative for partnering with a university in ensuring women get basic education on how to run their businesses is highly commendable by Women20 as many women across the globe are natural entrepreneurs in pursuit of looking after their families and sending their children to school.

“However, they lack basic knowledge on how to run businesses, so the First Lady is closing a very important gap which has a positive impact on women’s performance in business.

Also potato production is a real game changer. It forms part of the world’s staple food and has potential to create millions of jobs across the value chain. Now that she is giving women access, she is surely opening the doors to success for them,” she said.

Another participant from Turkey could also not hide her admiration of Dr Mnangagwa.

“I am happy with the fact that she actually gives the people inputs and works with them from planting right up to harvest time through her Agric4She initiative. That level of involvement encourages the  women to work as she will be showing them that it is doable.

“I look forward to doing the same in my home country, because people need to work using their hands to crawl out of poverty. She is doing wonderful things for the people of Zimbabwe,” she said.

Also singled out for praise by the participants was the First Lady’s partnership with Zimbabwe Open University.

“In our country we have a lot of women aspiring to run their businesses but lack the academic know-how. We surely should do the same so that a local university can train them and be part of the women empowerment drive that we yearn for. What Dr Mnangagwa is doing is unprecedented and pregnant with lessons for everyone to follow,” she said.

Another guest said she was humbled by efforts being made by the Government of Zimbabwe to enhance the status of women.

“I am humbled by measures being taken by the Government of Zimbabwe to enhance the social and economic status of women. That women can now play roles in decision-making is a good move. The New Dispensation is indeed doing well for women as they also occupy senior positions and other key functions. This is a real marvel,” she said.