By Prince J Musa in Kenema
The Ministry of Environment with support from UNDP on the 11th July 2022 held a regional consultation on the Development of a five-year Gender Sensitive Strategic Plan on environmental management in Kenema.
The consultation targeted mostly women from different women groups that are engaged in environmental management through tree planting.
According to the Director of the Ministry of Environment, Edward Bendu in participatory governance, women can have pivotal roles in the development of the country, especially in agriculture, energy, education, and infrastructure, among others.
He said that the regional consultation was to help enhance the effectiveness of the ministry of environment and that one of the components comprises the planting of five million trees within a period of four years.
The Director added that some community-based organisations have already won bids to plant the trees and that over fifty percent of them are women-led organizations, which indicates that women play important roles in economic activities.
Bendu pointed out that the ministry honoured the gender-sensitive strategic plan because of the issues of forest degradation, deforestation, habitat destruction, pollution and waste management, and also the lack of knowledge in managing the natural resources.
He said that upon completion of consultations on the strategic plan, they will be guided to take development to the doorstep of the people. He stated that the Customary Land Rights Bill is key to the consultations and called on other organizations to bring on board women for national development.
Paramount Chief of Nongowa chiefdom, Kenema District Sadique Matoe Kapuwa, welcomed the initiative taken to involve women in national issues under the gender mainstreaming, saying that no nation will progress in development if women are left out.
Chief Kapuwa urged the participants to commit themselves to the programme as they are in attendance to represent other women so that the knowledge and contributions to the consultations will reflect in the national document.
The Chairman Kenema District Council, Mohamed Amodu Sesay said, the development plan of any institution will not be actualized if women are not included.
He added that the present situation of climate change is affecting the existence of lives and made reference to the Kambui forest where encroachment and other illegal activities such as gold mining, and logging have threatened the water gravity system.
Sesay assured the ministry of the local council’s support and readiness to work with any development partner to ensure a better life for the people of Kenema district, saying three planting and the inclusion of women was a welcome idea.
He said the engagement will enable the women to come out with the challenges they encounter in their communities and chiefdom level while calling on the country to continue such engagement.
Sesay added that women are at the centre of agricultural production and most of them are breadwinners but that there are many challenges they face, saying that the application of a bottom-top approach to participate in the process is necessary as it will encourage the women to take lead on national discourse. He urged the women to make their positive inputs and commended UNDP for decentralizing the consultation at the regional level.
Copyright © 2022 Politico Online (25/07/22)
