Speaker of National Assembly Calls for More Women MPs
For Nelly Mutti, speaker of the National Assembly, creating a Parliament that is effectively representative and gender balanced is of high importance.
She spoke to ZNBC in an interview on 22nd May ahead of the raising of the National Flag of Zambia in Parliament Grounds to mark 100 years of Parliament.
She said, “I have advocated and supported women empowerment in a number of issues affecting them. It is for this reason that I have been advocating for the establishment of the Committee on Women in parliament.
She continued, “I am happy to inform you that this committee will actually commence its operations on the 1stSeptember 2026, that is in the next Parliament. Before I leave Parliament I would like the National Assembly of Zambia to establish child care facilities for both members of Parliament and staff.”
There are currently 25 female MPs out of 166, and Zambia has never had a female President. Nelly Mutti’s own appointment to speaker of the National Assembly was a milestone in September 2021, and she said at the time that being a woman alone was not a qualification for the appointment, but that she was competent.
The Zambian government is committed to improving the representation of women not just in politics, but beyond to the private sector, public sector and voters. Zambia is a signatory to a number of international legal instruments which protect women from discrimination, and encourage and empower their involvement in politics and leadership roles. In Part III of the Constitution, it emphasises values and principles which are non-discriminative. For example, under Article 259, if a person is making an appointment or nomination for a position, that person will ensure that 50% of each gender is represented in the nomination for the available position, unless it is impractical to do so.
The Vice President Mutale Nalumango is also a fervent advocator of womens rights, highlighting that investing in female participation is not just a moral obligation, but a human rights issue.