UTM Party president Dalitso Kabambe and his Alliance for Democracy (Aford) counterpart Enoch Chihana have endorsed the 2025 Women’s Manifesto with pledges to tackle deep-rooted social norms that continue to sideline women in Malawi.
The two leaders made the commitment in Lilongwe during separate audiences with the Women’s Manifesto Movement.
Kabambe said most of the demands in the manifesto align with his party’s programmes.
He said: “Almost all the demands are one and the same with what we, the UTM, have. As a nation, we come from a background where we have elevated the male gender at the expense of the female. A lot has changed, but we are still far behind compared to developed economies.”
Kabambe said discriminatory norms, ranging from polygamy to religious interpretations and gendered education preferences have held back girls and women for generations.
In a separate session later, Chihana echoed the call for mindset change and said endorsement of the manifesto was a formality, as his party already integrates gender equity into its core agenda.
“As Aford, we are already committed to women’s empowerment through our manifesto,” he said. “If you look at our leadership structure, we are the only party with women occupying key positions of vice-president, secretary general, treasurer general and campaign director.”
Led by the Women’s Legal Resources Centre (Worlec) and NGO-Gender Coordinating Network with support from the European Union and the UK’s Foreign and Commonwealth Development Office, the Women’s Manifesto outlines demands for legal, political and socio-economic reforms to advance women’s rights and representation beyond the September 16 election.
Worlec executive director Maggie Kathewera Banda said this year’s manifesto will come with a performance-tracking mechanism.
“We are going to monitor implementation under each thematic area, including tracking gender balance in Cabinet appointments and whether public positions reflect the Gender Equality Act,” she said.
Oxfam in Malawi gender justice programme and policy manager Sarah Kambirinya welcomed the support from UTM and Aford, noting the importance of building alliances, especially with traditional leaders, to advance women’s participation at grass roots level.
The Women’s Manifesto Movement is a civil society-led initiative advocating for inclusive governance and accountability on gender equality ahead of Malawi’s general election.
