GGJDC Programs Officer for Women Empowerment Leadership Project (WE4L), Grace Makuti, expressed need for women empowerment during training on Tuesday in Nkhotakota for women aspiring to contest for various positions in the 2019 tripartite elections.

She said GGJDC wants to propel more women to decision making positions at parliamentary and council levels, hence the training to drill them on how they could ably compete. Makuti added that having more women contestants would allow the electorate have a wider choice during voting.

The Programmes Officer, however, dismissed assertions from some commentators that grooming more women aspirants would divide the vote for women candidates.

“We are working with five main political parties including Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), Malawi Congress Party (MCP), United Democratic Front (UDF), Peoples Party (PP) and Alliance for Democracy (AFORD) so that we fish out the best candidates.

Councillor for Nkhotakota Boma Ward, Spider Nkhoma, said it is high time communities understood that women should be given chance to take leading roles.

“Men should support the female aspirants as they have always done with male candidates.

“Women should also learn to appreciate that they can shine through their friends, the pull-down syndrome will not take them anywhere,” said Nkhoma who declared he would not contest in the coming elections to pave way for a female aspirant.

One of the female aspirants for Bua Ward, Cortesher Mbewe, asked people of good will to support women aspirants with resources for conducting campaigns.

“We are competing with men who have adequate resources to convince people to put them into positions. We are afraid that if well-wishers do not come in time to support us then we will convince few people to vote for us,” she said.

Meanwhile, a total of 42 females have shown interest in Nkhotakota to contest as councillors and MPs during the 2019 elections.

Currently, the district has two female Members of Parliament and all councillors are male.