24/09/2026
PMI-WILL CLOSES: SIX YEARS OF ADVANCING WOMEN'S LEADERSHIP IN LOCAL GOVERNANCE
Lusaka, 24 September 2026
The Partnerships for Municipal Innovation-Women in Local Leadership (PMI-WILL) Project has officially closed, six years after it was launched at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Lusaka.
Reflecting on the journey, LGAZ Executive Director Ms. Mpatanji Namumba said the project had implemented several interventions across its five components with a measure of success, strengthening women's elected leadership, supporting women in local government administration, growing the network of women elected officials, improving gender-responsive services, and building LGAZ's own institutional capacity.
She pointed to real impact on the ground: five local authorities-Kafue, Chifunabuli, Lunte, Nakonde and Kasama, were each supported with K1.3 million to roll out innovative services, from a Mental Wellness and Skills Development Initiative in Kafue, to new Skills Development Centres in Chifunabuli, Lunte and Nakonde (a first for the district), to a women-led waste collection initiative using motorised tricycles in Kasama.
Ms. Namumba also welcomed the Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development's endorsement of integrating a Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Module into the National Manual for Councillors and Officers, calling it a key step toward institutionalising gender equality in local authorities' day-to-day operations.
Canadian High Commissioner to Zambia, Her Excellency Corry Van Gaal, echoed the significance of the moment, telling delegates that "when women lead, communities thrive." She shared that over six years, PMI-WILL had identified and registered 975 aspiring women leaders, with 707 going through targeted capacity-building and mentorship, while more than 100 local government officials were trained in gender-responsive governance and 10 councils developed policies against sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment. She stressed that PMI-WILL's true value lay in strengthening both women's leadership and local governance itself.
Delivering the keynote address on behalf of Permanent Secretary Mr. Nicholas Phiri, Director of Local Government Administration Mr. Ackson Habanji commended the partnership for building not just skills but confidence among women leaders. He urged beneficiary councils to sustain the momentum, saying "the close of a project should not mean the end of these vital services," and calling on them to budget for and maintain the initiatives as lasting legacy projects.
Looking ahead, Ms. Namumba noted that LGAZ's new Constitution now guarantees 30% women's representation in all its organs, an institutional foundation to carry PMI-WILL's gains forward.
As the High Commissioner put it: "The true measure of PMI-WILL will not be what it achieved over the past six years. It will be what comes next." 💪🇿🇲
Federation of Canadian MunicipalitiesCanada in Zambia
