Maputo, 10 Sep AIM) – Mozambican President Daniel Chapo has announced that about 14,000 Mozambican women will each receive a non-repayable grant of 100,000 meticais (just over 1500 US dollars at the current exchange rate) to start businesses under an economic empowerment initiative supported by the World Bank.
According to the President, who was speaking on Wednesday at the opening of the 8th National Conference on Women and Gender, which took place in Maputo, under the motto “Uniting to Act, Empowering Women, and Eliminating Gender-Based Violence”, all sectors of society must fight against gender-based violence and poverty among women and girls.
“Economic empowerment is a prerequisite for social transformation and national development. For all women and girls, zero violence. For all women and girls, freedom from poverty. These are two priorities of the National Agenda for Women and Girls through 2030”, he said.
According to Chapo, out of approximately 72,000 scholarships allocated to young people nationwide, 56,000 beneficiaries are women, representing about 70 percent of the total.
He explained that the fight against gender-based violence must go hand in hand with economic empowerment by enhancing women’s access to employment, vocational training, land, financing, technology, and markets.
The President also called for the involvement of men and boys in the fight against gender-based violence, noting that building a more fair society requires the participation of everyone.
Regarding political participation, Chapo also highlighted the progress made by women, noting that they account for approximately 39.2 percent of the deputies in the Assembly of the Republic, the country’s parliament, and roughly 30 percent of government members.
For her part, the Minister of Labor, Gender, and Social Action, Ivete Alane, described the conference as a national forum for dialogue, reflection, and commitment aimed at assessing progress made and accelerating concrete actions for women’s empowerment and the promotion of gender equality.
Alane believes that the participation of representatives from the country’s 11 provinces – including women from various sectors of society, civil society organizations, cooperation partners, the United Nations, the World Bank, the African Union, and delegations from several countries – is crucial for the conference.
The minister also pointed to the launch of the Women’s Empowerment Fund (Pro Mulher) as one of the government’s initiatives designed to strengthen women’s economic autonomy and their participation in the country’s development.
(AIM)
Lt/Am/
