President Mokgweetsi Masisi is elated that in his five years in office, his government has been able to deliver on some of its promises. In his sixth State of Nation Address (SONA) speech yesterday, Masisi, the country's fifth President stated that since he took over, 50% of Permanent Secretaries are women.
“The empowerment of women and gender equality remains central to our national development agenda. Since I assumed office, we have made tremendous inroads towards ensuring the participation of women in public sector leadership positions. By 2023, for example, 50% of Permanent Secretaries [appointed] are women; [this is the] first time ever in our history. I want also to encourage women to compete for leadership positions at various political levels,” said President Masisi.
He said as a government, they have also reached out to the international community for support in their endeavour to ensure women are not left behind in development.
The President said in partnership with the UN, they have embarked on accelerating women-owned micro-enterprises. He said the overarching goal of the programme is to provide technical skills and close gaps in business management among women entrepreneurs.
Meanwhile, on gender-based violence (GBV), he expressed concern about the trend which is mostly directed at women and children by men, who are expected to protect and love them.
“I urge men in this country to take the lead in ending violence meted out against women and children. Let us learn to resolve our differences with our loved ones amicably. The building of police stations or child-friendly centres as established in several parts of this country cannot reduce GBV incidences. To address these issues, we need our culture; our values; and faithfulness before God,” he said.
