By Prince J Musa in Kenema
In a bid to encourage and capacitate women so they could participate in national politics, the advocacy 50-50 Group has conducted a capacity building and empowerment training for women, at the district council hall, in Kenema. The programme’s theme was: “Beyond politics of men, empowering women to be effective in political actions in Sierra Leone ‘’.
In his statement, the 50-50 Project Coordinator, Bintu Kamara said the training was meant to build the capacity of women in all the political parties and to hold a mini-conference for the stakeholders on how they could support women that may intend to aspire for various positions within their political parties in the 2023 elections.
“We want to prepare our political women ahead of electioneering period so that they will be well- equipped for the elections’’, she stated.
She said the capacity training will enable the participants to actively engage in national politics and in digital marketing of their political ideas.
She assured the women of 50/50's continued mentoring and empowering of them even when the project’s life span would have ended in 2023. She spoke of the organization’s readiness to work with women desirous of going into politics that year. The 50-50 coordinator said they are already working with political parties and 225 women in the three districts of Kenema, Kambia and Tonkolili, with the availability of forty- five mentors who serve as the main champions supporting the women within their party structures.
A representative of All Political Parties Association Kenema who is also the district women’s leader of SLPP, Ella Gobba told the gathering that as women they are creating the platform for political parties to come up with specific positions within their parties that should be reserved for women only.
Madam Kamara stated that the time has come for women to take the stage in governance because a lot of men have failed the people in terms of service delivery. “What men can do, women stand to do better because we are mothers’’, she said.
She encouraged her colleague female politicians to solicit the full support of their fellow women and not allow men to misdirect them against their colleagues during political campaigns. She also advised that women improve themselves academically.
She urged political parties to create a level playing field so that women can actively contribute to national politics and cautioned them against chastity to secure positions.
A civil society activist, Fallah Albert Bockarie commended EU through Search for Common Ground for supporting 50-50 in empowering the women and described the training as timely.
He said women will only achieve their 30% in politics if they accept their colleague women contesting for positions, since their population surpasses men.
He promised that civil society will continue to give support to women and will keep reminding political leaders that women be allowed to participate fully in politics without any intimidation.
Copyright © Politico Online (14/07/21)
