By MAIMBOLWA MULIKELELA –
THERE is need for the Government to engage women in agribusiness for them to contribute towards greater gender equality and economic development, World Bank has said.
Acting country manager Rosemary Sunkutu said the Government should engage women in agribusiness to enable them contribute to greater gender equality and economic and social empowerment.
She said it was extremely important for the Zambian Government to promote women’s economic empowerment as they constitute 68 per cent of those who are economically active in the country’s agriculture sector.
“No country can call itself developed until the economic empowerment of women has happened.
“It is important that women are enabled access to productive resources such as land. Unfortunately, customary norms still prevent women from owning land, as most women only have access to land through their communities and women in their household and family settings,” Dr Sunkutu said.
She said women should be encouraged to access productive resources such as land to achieve inclusive growth.
