By FLAVIOR CHISHALA –

GENDER and Child Development Minister Nkandu Luo has urged young women in the country to partner with each other in businesses and boost the country’s economy.
Professor Luo said poverty always wore a face of a woman and, as such, the womenfolk should unite and build a spirit of oneness as opposed to competing among themselves.
She said this in Lusaka during the ongoing provincial women expo workshop aimed at promoting young women entrepreneurship as change agents for national development.
Prof Luo said employment did not only mean working for somebody but that one should be innovative and generate ideas that would even create jobs for others.
“We have been throughout the country identifying young women that have been innovative and willing to change their mindset. Please embrace the spirit of partnership as problem shared is problem solved,” Prof Luo said.
She said that there were a variety of business opportunities in the nation that could be seized and exploited but that it was vital that women identified their skills and pursued such opportunities.
Prof Luo also appealed to women to be disciplined in the manner they handled their earnings and urged them to develop a culture of saving as opposed to spending all the money they earned.
Fipelwa na Lesa Women Group secretary Mary Banda said the expo was an eye-opener for women as it was a good opportunity for them to form networks.
Ms Banda said the experience gained would go a long way in helping women become independent and be able to render support to their families.
“We have seen gender-based violence cases reducing in homes where a woman is complementing the husband’s effort to provide for the family. We want to see more women coming out and start businesses that will create jobs for others,” she said.