President Edgar Lungu has sworn in Kanyama Member of Parliament Elizabeth Phiri as new Gender Minister taking over from Victoria Kalima who died in June this year.
Speaking during the swearing in ceremony at State House, President Lungu said Ms Phiri is expected to help government to seriously address the numerous gender issues affecting men and women, boys and girls, not to talk of early marriages and gender based violence among others.
President Lungu, who is also a champion on ending child marriages on the African continent, says the new Gender Minister should buy into his vision of bringing to zero marriages of innocent under aged girls, not only here in Zambia, but other African countries.
He hopes that Ms Phiri will take keen interest in the issues of women empowerment programmes through clubs and cooperatives to bring to fruition the party’s vision of empowering the less privileged.
Meanwhile, newly appointed Minister of Gender Elizabeth Phiri has pledged to work towards strengthening gender equality in all spheres of society and ensure that no one is left behind in the development of the nation.
Mrs. Phiri says time has come for the country and the World at large to recognise efforts being put in place to advance gender equality and the fight against all forms of discrimination of one gender.
The Minister has assured women in business of her commitment to expose them to local and international platforms so as to offer them opportunities to pursue the frontiers of acceptable global business standards.
Mrs. Phiri says the Ministry will work towards advocating for gender mainstreaming in all the five pillars of the Seventh National Development Plan (7NDP) and provide guidelines to public and private sectors on how to mainstream gender in their operations.