A Team of officers from Gender Division under Cabinet Office is currently in Muchinga Province to conduct a gender audit in selected government departments.
Director – Gender Development, Henry Nkhoma says the purpose of the audit is to assess whether the nation is in line with gender mainstreaming.
Mr Nkhoma says Government is part of the global community where a number of protocols have been signed adding that the Eighth National Development Plan (8NDP) also emphasises on gender equity and equality which is among the reasons that the division is conducting the gender audit.
” The Southern African Development Community (SADC) protocol also demands for Zambia to thrive to reach a 50/50 participation ratio among Women and men,” he added.
Mr Nkhoma says the Head of State attaches great importance to issues of gender which is why he is a champion on ending child marriage which is among his administration priorities.
He says it is against this background that gender division which is a gender machinery for Government has been tasked to ensure that gender equality is at play and advise government on policy direction in regard to the progress being made on gender issues.
He pointed out the five departments where the gender audit will be conducted in the Province at district level as Ministry of Agriculture, Ministry of Small and Medium Enterprises Development, Tourism, Technology and Science including Ministry of Justice.
Mr Nkhoma was speaking when he and his team paid a courtesy call on Muchinga Province Permanent Secretary, Henry Mukungule at his office in Chinsali today.
And Mr Mukungule says Government is doing everything possible to bridge the gap between males and females in all spheres of life.
He says this is evident through the just ended recruitment of teachers and health workers where females dominated the numbers.
Mr Mukungule adds that education is among the ways that government is using to bridge the gap through the introduction of free education policy that has seen a number of girls get back in school which caused a reduction in early child marriages.
” As we increase the enrollment levels in school this will help the nation to meet the protocols signed by government,” he adds.
The PS says the coming of the gender division team in the province will help the province through the department being audited to improve in gender mainstreaming in their operations.
