Namibia Veep calls for strengthened SADC peace keeping mission in the DRC

Namibian Vice President Netumbo Nandi-Ndaitwah has described the just ended extraordinary organ Troika plus SADC Troika summit as a huge success.

Vice President Nandi-Ndaitwah says her expectations were met at the just concluded SADC TROIKA summit.

She says she is particularly happy that member states reaffirmed a strong commitment to promoting regional peace and security.

Ms Nandi-Ndaitwah cited Mozambique and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) as countries where the SADC leadership want peace to reign.

She adds that this is the reason SADC late last year deployed peacekeepers in the DRC with a view to bring stability in that country.

The Vice President has however, noted the need to strengthen the SADC peace keeping mission in the DRC.

Ms Nandi-Ndaitwah explained that the SADC

Ms Nandi-Ndaitwah

leadership is also using the strong component of diplomacy in finding the last solution to the war in the DRC.

ZANIS reports that the Namibian Vice President said this shortly before departure for Namibia at the Kenneth Kaunda International Airport (KKIA) this morning.

The Namibian Vice President was among the Heads of State and government who attended the just ended extraordinary organ TROIKA plus SADC TROIKA summit held in Lusaka, Zambia.

VICE PRESIDENT, Mutale Nalumango, has called on women entrepreneurs to produce quality products that can compete favourably on the international market.

Mrs Nalumango says women have the potential to contribute to the country’s economic development if only they can support each other in their various enterprises through innovation.

Speaking during the meeting for women in Industry organised by Zambia Association of Manufacturing (ZAM) in Lusaka, Mrs Nalumango explained that the government is working hard to remove barriers that hinder women to thrive in their businesses.

The Vice President said there is a need to accelerate gender equality in manufacturing as women have potential to contribute to the country’s economic growth, and that to this end the government is tailoring reforms to promote women entrepreneurship.

Mrs Nalumango says there is now a paradigm shift where women are also able to engage in serious enterprises to contribute to the government’s robust agenda to transform the country’s economy.

She further urged women to support one another

Ms Nalumango

in the country’s agenda.

“Let me tell you my fellow women that there is now a paradigm shift for women to support one another in their endeavour to accelerate the Zambian economic growth, gone are the days when women competed on trivial matters,” she said.

She has since commended ZAM for the initiative to organise the training workshop for women in manufacturing to be capacitated and have their skills sharpened for them to be able to maximise in their businesses.

The Vice President also called for a strong partnership between Government developmental and other stakeholders to come on board and support women in Industry.

And Minister of Commerce Trade and Industry, Chipoka Mulenga, said that women have the capacity to change the country’s economic outlook once supported.

Mr Mulenga urged women in manufacturing to make use of banks to get startup capital to set up various industries to help contribute significantly to the country’s economic growth.

He observed that the fact that some banks are headed by women in the country, women in manufacturing should take advantage to get loans to grow their industries. Earlier, Zambia Association of Manufacturers (ZAM) Vice President, Fronscen Haloba, said empowering women in Industry is not merely a moral imperative, it is a strategic plan to drive innovation, productivity and sustainability.

She added that by harnessing the full potential of women in the industry to unlock the new perspectives, talents and solutions to myriad challenges will help to improve their businesses.

“Throughout today’s training, let us engage in meaningful dialogue, exchange ideas and forge partnerships that will propel us towards the shared goal of gender equality in our economy,” she said.

She urged women to pave the way for a future where every woman has the opportunity to thrive and contribute positively to the industry.

ZAM has organised the training workshop for women in manufacturing with the ultimate objective to impart business skills in them so that they can reach their full potential.