The Zambia National Women’s Lobby (ZNWL) Acting Executive Director, Golden Nachibinga, said the organisation is training 500 women aspiring to contest the 2026 general elections.
He has however expressed concern that political parties may use reserved seats as an excuse to avoid adopting women in constituencies.
Speaking in an interview with the media, Mr Nachibinga says ZNWL has introduced contestants for Member of Parliament, mayor, council chairperson, and councillor positions across all provinces.
“Out of the 500 women in our database, about 50 are targeting parliamentary seats while the majority are going for local government positions,” he said.
He noted that despite the 2025 Constitution introducing 20 proportional representation seats reserved for women, many aspirants still face barriers to contesting in constituencies.
“Our fear is that political parties will tell women to wait for PR seats instead of supporting them to win constituency elections,” she said.
Mr Nachibinga stressed on cultural norms that remained a major barrier, with patriarchal attitudes dominating decision making at community and institutional levels.
“It is often believed that men provide better leadership across various levels of the community, and this prejudice affects women who want to participate in politics,” He explained.
He added that many women lacked resources to campaign because they do not control the means of production within their families.
“Significant resources are required to mobilise communities and reach voters, and many women simply do not have access to that kind of money,” he said.
Mr Nachibinga said education barriers also persist, with some women unable to meet the Grade twelve qualification required to run for elective office in Zambia.
He observed that most of the positions were occupied by men, leaving a challenge for women to be adopted in the committees.
“Since adoption committees are often dominated by men, it becomes more difficult for women to be selected as candidates,” He noted
Mr Nachibinga expressed concern on electoral violence that, range from physical attacks to bribery and rising online violence targeting women politicians.
“Online violence is often intended to discourage women from participating in politics, especially now that digital platforms are widely used for campaigns,” He stressed
He noted that barriers can be countered by running capacity building trainings focused on public speaking, resource mobilisation, and use of traditional as well as online media.
“We are training women to engage stakeholders and work with influential people like traditional and religious leaders to build visibility in their wards and constituencies,” He added.
He said the organisation was also lobbying political parties to place women in meaningful leadership roles beyond mobilisation or entertainment duties.
“Women should not be confined to supportive roles. They must take on leadership roles within political parties to improve their chances of adoption in 2026,” he said.
Mr Nachibinga emphasised on community engagement through radio, roadshows and popular theatre to shift attitudes on women’s leadership.
“We are encouraging communities to assess women based on leadership capabilities rather than gender-based stereotypes,” He added
He further emphasized that the 2026 polls offer four entry points for women consisting of constituency seats, parliamentary PR seats, proposed local government PR seats and youth inclusion lists.
“There are now four entry points for women in the 2026 elections, and we are simplifying these provisions so aspirants and communities understand the opportunities,” he said.
