Malawi

At a small discussion at Thursday’s World Economic Forum on Africa, the issue of gender equality in African politics took centre stage.

Africa’s second female president, Dr Joyce Banda of Malawi, has attributed progress of women in politics and positions of power to men who gave them an opportunity to prove themselves.

Malawi government has pledged to help female parliamentarians retain their seats in 2014 tripartite polls.

As the country gears for the 2009 presidential polls, Women in Politics, a gender coordinating network, is strategising on how best to lobby and increase the representation of women in Parliament.

NGO Gender Network says it will start meeting women aspirants across the country to strategise on their ambitious plan to have a representation of more than 40 percent of women in Parliament during the next year’s general elections.

The Norwegian embassy in Malawi has provided a grant to women's organizations to enhance the skills and confidence of women candidates so they can run effective campaigns and overcome gender based discrimination, and for civic awareness campaigns on the need for more women in decision-making posi

There cannot be sustainable women empowerment in development and politics if women lobby groups leave out culture in their campaigns, Chikwawa District Commissioner Lawford Palani has said.

MCP, the country’s major opposition party, has said it will not give any special treatment to its women aspirants for parliamentary seats—to fulfil the 50/50 Sadc declaration. But Malawi still has the lowest representation of women in decision-making position in the region.