22 Oct 2026

Botswana has been urged to strengthen measures aimed at increasing women’s participation and representation in decision-making structures, including Parliament.

The call was made by the Southern African Development Community SADC Parliamentary Forum (SADC PF) Lobbying and Advocacy Mission vice president, Ms Sylvia Lucas-Izaks, during a courtesy call on the Minister of Youth and Gender Affairs, Ms Lesego Chombo, in Gaborone on October 21.

Ms Lucas-Izaks said Botswana needed to return to gender mainstreaming rather than focusing only on gender parity.

She said women’s issues should not be treated as political issues because they affected women across all levels and sections of society.

Ms Lucas-Izaks said women carry responsibilities such as caring for children, parents, husbands and in-laws, making their challenges common regardless of political affiliation or social standing.

She said efforts to increase women’s representation should begin at grassroots level through developing and empowering women who aspire for leadership positions.

Ms Lucas-Izaks said the current level of women’s representation in Botswana’s Parliament was disturbing, calling for practical measures to increase the number of women in decision-making positions.

She cited South Africa and Tanzania as examples of countries that had adopted measures to improve women’s representation, saying Botswana could learn from their experiences.

Ms Lucas-Izaks said increasing women’s representation would require political parties and other stakeholders to work together.

She urged women to support one another, saying the success of gender equality initiatives would depend on taking women along at every stage of the process.

The mission is advocating for the domestication of the revised SADC Protocol on Gender and Development, which seeks to strengthen women’s participation and representation in decision-making.

In her welcome remarks, Minister Chombo said the country was committed to advancing gender equality by ensuring that women and girls were empowered to participate meaningfully in decision-making processes.

She said her ministry was working to create an environment that would enable women to realise their potential and contribute to national development.

Minister Chombo said gender equality required collective responsibility and stronger cooperation among government, civil society and other stakeholders.

She also stressed the importance of developing policies and programmes that address challenges faced by women and girls, particularly those at grassroots level.

Ms Chombo said Botswana was looking forward to strengthening collaboration with regional partners on gender-related matters and advancing efforts toward the domestication and implementation of relevant regional instruments.

She further emphasised that the participation of women in leadership and decision-making was essential to achieving meaningful and sustainable development. ENDS