By CATHERINE NYIRENDA –
FIRST Lady Esther Lungu has urged Government to ensure that finance and investment policies are designed in a way that will empower women to own land and property.

. Mrs Lungu

Ms Lungu was concerned that there were still laws, policies, customs, traditions and practices that restrict women’s equal access to credit and loans thereby preventing women from owning and inheriting land, property and housing in Zambia.
“I urge Government to ensure that finance and investment policies are  designed in a way that would promote equality in terms of ownership of land, the right to own property and adequate housing,” Ms Lungu said.
She said this when she launched the Women’s build event sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank in collaboration with Habitat for Humanity in Lusaka’s Kamanga Township yesterday.
Standard Chartered Bank and Habitat for Humanity through their project to empower vulnerable women are constructing two houses for Elizabeth Tembo and Hildah Tolomayo both of Kamanga Township.
Ms Lungu said there was need to include women in land resettlement schemes and in ownership of housing at local government level.
“Government should take additional measures to increase other productive resources in order not to undermine women’s capacity to acquire and retain these resources,” she said.
She also urged stakeholders to support Government’s efforts to do away with customs and traditions that discriminate against women and deny them security of tenure and equal ownership, access to land as well as right to own property.
Ms Lungu was happy that Habitat for Humanity Zambia had continued to support women empowerment programmes for building homes for vulnerable women.
She also commended Standard Chartered Bank on the importance it attached towards alleviating poverty and bridging the housing gap especially for women who were the most affected.
Since inception, Habitat for Humanity Zambia has built over 2,995 houses for the vulnerable people.
Standard Chartered Bank chief executive officer Andrew Okai said the institution’s partnership with Habitat for Humanity to provide decent shelter for people was based on personal conviction of employees to make a positive impact in the communities where they operate in.
He said Elizabeth and Hildah together with their children and generations to come would benefit from the houses.
Habitat for Humanity chairperson Douglas Katembo appealed to Government to finalise the Land Policy which had remained in a draft form for a long time.
Mr Katembo said the Land Policy would enhance security tenure for women once implemented.
He also appealed to Government to consider giving land subsidies to the vulnerable as land title fees were high.
The two beneficiaries commended the Habitat for Humanity and the Standard chartered Bank for building them decent houses .