The inaugural all-woman parliament in Botswana was held last week with the aim to present a platform that drives the development of future women parliamentarians and usher in an era of gender balance in parliament.
Held at the University of Botswana Indoor Sports Centre, the initiative that was powered by U.S. Embassy Gaborone and implemented by Young Minds Africa, Women Lead Africa Trust, and MolayaKgosi intended to stimulate women’s empowerment and nurture active women’s engagement in politics and governance.
Assistant Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, Talita Monnakgotla who officially opened the event noted that the status of women’s participation in politics in Botswana and perhaps the world is currently a worrisome issue and that they have consistently experienced low numbers of representation by women at either parliament, cabinet, or local government here in Botswana.
“Women are capable and no one has been able to prove otherwise. Just this year we celebrated Hon. Peggy Serame who delivered the budget speech as the first woman to hold the Minister of Finance and Economic Development position,” she emphasized.
Correspondingly, she mentioned that they celebrated the iconic Dr. Gaositwe Chiepe, a woman who shattered many glass ceilings and paved the way for women like herself adding that these are some of the examples that demonstrate that it is possible for women to lead.
Monnakgotla opined that after fully understanding the issues surrounding the lack of women’s political participation, the young delegates should move beyond this platform to become champions and advocates for the increased inclusion of women at all levels of decision-making. “This will be a great step towards achieving gender equality and gender balance in parliament,” she said.
The impending young leaders of the simulation of the Botswana parliament delivered prolific deliberations over issues affecting the country and strived on ascertaining sustainable solutions toward a better Botswana.
According to Ditiro Kavindama, a 22-year-old student of Economics and Political Science at the University of Botswana, the Model Parliament was a direct replica of the Parliament of Botswana hence all procedures and protocols had to mimic it.
“The plurality voting system also known as the First-Pass- the Post was used to select the cabinet members. All the Model Parliament constituents had to campaign in order to secure votes. I was the Minister of Wildlife, Environment & Tourism,” highlighted the young participant.
Kavindama reckoned the prospect as enlightening, sharing that during the workshop, a vast amount of information was shared and she learned about public speaking as well as how to engage an audience, especially in a political setting.
Meanwhile, among the distinguished invitees was the renowned political young leader, Resego Kgosidintsi who referred to the initiative as excellent. “I would just love for it to extend to women older than 27-years-old, they are equal victims of the patriarchal political system, need training and someone to hold their hands throughout the journey,” she stated.
