The Zimbabwe Women’s Resource Centre and Network (ZWRCN) has urged the government to ensure a fair allocation of resources for women in the upcoming budget process.
This was indicated during the pre-budget meeting held on Monday for 2024, facilitated by the Southern Africa Parliamentary Support Trust (SAPST) to prioritize women’s concerns.
“We know that now is the budget season and we are basically looking at ensuring that women get a fair allocation in the budget.
“Women in Zimbabwe constitute 51% of the population (and) a lot of livelihoods are the responsibility of women because for most households to be where they are, women are at the forefront,” ZWRCN executive director Thokozile Ruzvidzo said.
The allocation of $18.5 billion to the Ministry of Women’s Affairs in the 2023 budget, which was only 0.5% of the total budget, raised concerns among women’s lobby groups.
Therefore, Ruzvidzo argued that the allocation does not sufficiently address the diverse experiences and realities faced by women, men, girls, and boys in the country.
“The budget needs to focus on the critical issues that affect women such as access to land, mechanisation and basic access to factors of production,” Ruzvidzo said.
“Women are so crucial, they need to be strengthened and need critical skills.
“We are aware that there are limited resources at the moment but we will continue to advocate for more funds,” she said.
Meanwhile, Lorraine Mbodza, a representative of the Zimbabwe Gender Commission, said that funding allocated to women in previous budgets had been insufficient.
