Justicia Shipena
Speaker of the National Assembly Saara Kuugongelwa-Amadhila has urged women parliamentarians to strengthen oversight and work together to advance gender equality in Namibia.
Speaking at the opening of a meeting of the Parliamentary Women Caucus in Swakopmund on Saturday, Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said the gathering allows women leaders to focus on issues affecting women and girls and ensure their voices are heard in decision-making.
She said the caucus brings together women across political parties to address common concerns and promote equal participation in governance.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said parliament must ensure that laws and policies adopted by the government lead to real change.
“There must be a system of follow-through, one in which implementing institutions report on progress, where shortfalls are interrogated, and where failure to meet targets is followed with concrete action,” she said.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila also urged parliament to review legislation and budgets through a gender lens.
She said gender-responsive budgeting and gender impact assessments help lawmakers understand how policies affect women and girls.
She further said women remain under-represented in many leadership positions despite evidence that gender-balanced parliaments improve policy outcomes.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila called for stronger efforts to address gender-based violence, which she described as a major challenge affecting women and children.
She said poverty, economic dependence, limited social services and harmful social norms contribute to violence against women.
She urged lawmakers to focus on prevention, early intervention and stronger support systems for survivors.
Kuugongelwa-Amadhila said the justice system must ensure survivors can seek help without long and difficult legal processes.
She also raised concern about harassment targeting women leaders on digital platforms.
She said intimidation on social media discourages women from participating in public life.
Furthermore, she called on government and financial institutions to support women-owned businesses and cooperatives.
She said many women run savings groups and small enterprises but face challenges accessing financing, markets and technical support.
Namibia’s Parliament has two houses. Women currently hold 38 of the 104 seats in the National Assembly and seven of the 42 seats in the National Council.
The Parliamentary Women’s Caucus brings together female members from both houses to promote women’s empowerment and influence legislation.
National Council vice chairperson Emma Muteka said Namibia has made progress in improving women’s representation in politics, but numbers alone do not measure success.
“What matters is the influence we exercise, the policies we shape, and the impact we create in the lives of the people we serve,” she said.
She said women caucuses around the world allow leaders to work together across party lines to promote policies that support women, families and communities.
“When women leaders support one another, share experiences and collaborate on solutions, they strengthen not only themselves but also the institutions they serve,” Muteka said.
She emphasised that the caucus’s work conveys to young women and girls that gender does not limit leadership.
Meanwhile, Kenya Women Parliamentary Association chairperson Leah Sankaire, at the same event, said women still hold fewer leadership positions globally.
Data from the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) and UN Women show women hold 22.4% of cabinet positions and 27.5% of parliamentary seats worldwide.
“To this end, the pursuit of gender equality at national and global levels is therefore not discretionary but obligatory,” she said.
Sankaire said women’s caucuses help lawmakers promote legislation on issues such as violence against women, family welfare, human rights and social development.
She also commended Namibia’s Parliamentary Women Caucus and said Kenya’s caucus is open to sharing lessons on strengthening women’s leadership.
New leadership elected
During the two-day meeting, members elected new leadership for the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus of the eighth parliament.
Sharonice Busch was elected chairperson, with Suzan Ndjaleka as vice chairperson, Brenda Rooi as secretary and Nono Katjingisiua as treasurer.
Additional members include Lilian Lutuhezi, Rosa Mbinge, Aina Kodi, Alexia Manombe-Ncube and Christine Haindaka.
Busch said the caucus will work to promote gender equality in Namibia’s legislative process.
“We stand firm in promoting gender equality in lawmaking and ensure that we will have gender-sensitive legislation,” she said.
Busch said women lawmakers will work together to strengthen their influence in decision-making and ensure national policies reflect the experiences of women and girls.
“We will use our collective influence to inform our national development in line with the lived realities of our females and young females in particular and what they are experiencing on the ground,” she said.
She said the caucus will work together to build cooperation among women parliamentarians.
