By Lumbiwe Mwanza
RENOWNED Economist Kelvin Chisanga says Zambia needs to do more in promoting gender equality in view of attaining socioeconomic development.
Mr. Chisanga says as the Least Developed Countries (LDCs) have convened at the 5th UN conference there is need for Zambia to reflect on how far it has gone in championing gender equality and how that has contributed to economic growth.
The 5th UN Conference on LDCs is taking place in Doha, Qatar, from 5 to 9 March 2023 with the aim to mobilize the international community’s commitments towards the implementation of the Doha Programme of Action for the LDCs (2022-2031) adopted by the UN General Assembly in April 2022.
Mr. Chisanga says in promoting gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, Zambia needs to strengthen the policy and legal frameworks to encourage more women to contribute to economic growth.
“I think an issue to do with gender empowerment which is the theme of Women’s Day is something that needs to be emphasized on because Zambia has not taken up a very strong approach on gender promotion according to the aspirations of the United Nations,” Mr. Chisanga said.
Mr. Chisanga however says he is confident that Zambia will make a shift in economic activities, jobs and resources from low-productivity sectors to higher-value-added and higher-productivity sectors if it effectively champions gender equality.
He adds that positioning women rightfully in various economic sectors can help improve their capacity to make quality goods and deliver services to enable them to participate more fully in local as well as global trade.
