The Catholic Commission for Justice and Peace (CCJP) in the Archdiocese of Lilongwe has intensified a campaign to get a meaningful participation of women in the forthcoming General Elections in September 2025.
Speaking at Tembwe Trading Centre after conducting a whistle-stop tour in Mchinji Southwest Constituency on Sunday, the CCJP District Coordinator, Alexius Nasoni said Malawi needs more women representation at the parliamentary and local government levels for the nation to achieve meaningful development.
Nasoni therefore challenged political parties and traditional leaders to remove barriers that could hinder women participation in elections.
“Why do we need more women involved in all aspects of the political process? Women’s political participation results in tangible gains for democracy, including greater responsiveness to citizen needs, increased cooperation across party and ethnic lines, and a more sustainable future,” he said.
CCJP organized the tour with with financial support from United the Nations Development Programme (UNDP) through the “Enhancing the Participation of Women in the 2025 Malawi General Elections” Project.
According to Nasoni, greater women’s participation in politics would help advance gender equality.
He said there is also strong evidence that as more women are elected to office, there is a corollary increase in policymaking that emphasizes quality of life and reflects the priorities of families, women, and the nation at large.
“It’s very unfortunate that Mchinji is one of the districts that produced a negligible number of female lawmakers and councilors. Let us change our mindset towards women leadership. We have female chiefs in this district and they have demonstrated strong leadership; the same would be true for female MPs and councilors. So let us give women all the support in elections,” pleaded Nasoni.
Principal Group Village Head Tembwe described the campaign as timely, stressing that it will help in clearing myths about female leadership in the Chewa and Ngoni-dominated areas.
In an interview after the tour, the aspiring ward councilor for Kalumbe Ward, Charity Chatipwa, appealed for material and financial support, saying this is one of hindrances to women’s participation in elections.