17 Feb 2021

Parliament has been informed that the Ministry of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs have adopted a multi-sectorial approach towards the implementation of the National Policy on Gender and Development.

This was said by the minister of Nationality, Immigration and Gender Affairs, Ms Anna Mokgethi in response to questions asked by specially elected Member of Parliament, Ms Unity Dow.

Ms Mokgethi noted that her ministry worked closely with Non-Governmental organizations such as Gender Links and Botswana Association of Local Authorities through the centers of excellence initiative in training and building the capacity of women, including young women in leadership skills, decision making, public speaking and negotiation skills among others.

She said different ministries and dikgosi (Tribal Administration) almost countrywide had been capacitated on gender mainstreaming and continuous engagement was undertaken to ensure full ownership. Implementation process, she said was rooted on coordination and ensuring that all actors were taken on-board while leveraging on the policy blueprint.

Moreover Ms Mokgethi said her ministry continued to work with civil society organisations such as the African Women Leadership Academy (TAWLA) for the development of leadership skills among girls.

Additionally, she said the ministry had intensified efforts through collaboration with other stakeholders and development partners such as Emang Basadi, Gender links amongst others to ensure that women candidates were trained and equipped with relevant skills to enhance opportunities towards the pursuit of public and political office.

Ms Mokgethi said although women’s participation in governance in the public service, parastatal organisation and private sector was commendable, women’s representation in political governance remained low.

“In 2018 and 2019, 32 per cent of executive leadership positions were occupied in parastatals while the overall figure stood at 40 per cent in the public sector, respectively,’ she said adding that this was an indicative of significance progress when taking into consideration of where we came from as a country.

Ms Mokgethi also said the participation of women in decision making in the public sector and the NGO sectors continued to be at a higher level where women in public sector accounted for 35 per cent for female Permanent Secretaries and 45 per cent as directors and surpassed 50 per cent in the Judiciary with 61 per  cent representation of women as magistrates.

She said although this was commendable, there were barriers and impediments hindering women from full participation in different facets of the public sphere including politics.

The minister said  barriers included lack of special measures/deliberate efforts such as decreed quotas to ensure equal representation, societal gender norms, gender stereotypes and patriarchal values which favored men for leadership positions  and multiple roles in women among others.

Ms Mokgethi noted that Botswana was a signatory to the SADC Protocol on Gender and Development which facilitated policy direction and strategic guidance in the empowerment of women.

“The National Policy on Gender and Development prioritises political power, democratic governance and decision making. The Policy emphasises the use of special measures/affirmative action to ensure equal and effective representation of women in decision making positions,” she said.

Ms Mokgethi said this called for all political parties to undertake such actions as it would demonstrate that political environment was conducive for women to participate in parties’ leadership.

She further said in order to promote equal representation of women in Parliament, local authorities, public service,  and parastatal organisations there was a need to take bold measures such as review of the constitution and electoral reforms and a full domestication of the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW).

Ms Dow had enquired about what programmes and projects if any, have been implemented to attain equal representation of men, women and youth as well as other vulnerable groups at all level of governance and leadership structure, such as Parliament, local authorities, public service, parastatals organisations, public sector and civil service organizations as stipulated in paragraph 53, page 14 of the National Policy on Gender Development (2015). 

She also wanted to know what percentage increase, if any, have been realised in the promotion of equal representation of women in Parliament, local authorities, public service and parastatal organizations.

Ms Dow further asked about major barriers to attaining equal representation of women in Parliament, local authorities, public service, parastatal organisation and what legal and/or policy structural reforms she considered necessary to promote the above stated goals. Ends