Campaign to enhance womenâ € ™s participation in governance inspires women leaders to take up leadership positions at local government level

The Zambia National Womenâ € ™s Lobby (ZNWL) has been implementing projects focusing on building the capacities of women at local government level This is due to the realisation that The activities of local government affect both men and women in ways that are fundamental to satisfying basic needs and quality of life. Equitable access to services at the local level begins with measures to ensure equal participation for all in consultative processes and local government decision-making. In Zambia, however, women and men do not enjoy equal access to or control over the basic services provided by local government, mainly because women continue to be under-represented in both the political leadership and administration at the local level. Thus for years ZNWL has been conducting activities aimed at building capacities of female councillors to effectively participate at local government level. The projects have yielded positive results in the lives of female councillors and have strengthened their capacities for better service delivery with their communities and also motivated them to take up leadership positions at local government level.
The 2011 local government results raised concerns about the quality and fairness of local service delivery. Out of 1,422 local government councilors in Zambia, 83 are women representing 5.8%. If only 83 women out of the total 1422 councilors are contributing to the day-to-day decisions made by local authorities, it is clear that the demands and priorities of women will not be well represented. Local government has presented the most basic avenue through which councillors can make substantial contribution to the nation. It is at local government level where women have an opportunity to engage, participate and be represented in decision making processes. Local government further provides a platform to engage with a variety of community stakeholders such traditional leaders, men, aspiring women leaders and community leaders who are key in increasing womenâ € ™s participation and representation in decision making positions and overcoming the ills of gender equality.

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