CCJP pushes for gender-balanced compositions in party positions
The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe (CCJP) has asked community governance structures and political parties in Malawi to adopt policies that would push for gender-balanced compositions in positions of leadership.
CCJP Governance Officer Felix Nakoma said this is the only surest way to increase female participation and representation in political and leadership positions across the board.
Nakoma made the sentiments during an interface meeting with traditional and community leaders under Traditional Authority (T/A) Kayembe in Dowa.
Dowa is one of the districts where CCJP is implementing the “Enhancing the Participation of Women in the 2025 Malawi General Elections” Project with financial support from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
Nakoma said Dowa West Constituency was selected because of its history for preference of male contestants in elections.
“This area has never produced a female member of Parliament (MPs) or councilor since we adopted multiparty democracy. This is retrogressive,” he said, further challenging that Malawi cannot achieve its much-desired development aspirations espoused in the Malawi 2063 (MW2063) unless women are fully capacitated and engaged in the implementation of various development projects.
A representative of T/A Kayembe, Senior Group Village Head (SGVH) Siwinda, conceded that some of their cultural practices have been fueling discrimination and marginalization of women in the society.
Siwinda pledged to revisit the practices in the spirit of entrenching gender equality in the area.
