The Minister of Gender Equality and Child Welfare, Emma Kantema, says the ministry is making major contributions to advancing gender equality, empowering women, and safeguarding children's welfare through a series of national programmes.

Dr. Kantema says the government has launched and expanded several initiatives this year.

These include the National Gender Equality and Equity Policy, the #EndGBV Namibia campaign, and the Right Start programme for early childhood development. 

The #EndGBV Namibia campaign has been rolled out in all 14 regions, while the relaunch of the Right Start campaign focuses on health, nutrition, early learning, safety, and responsive caregiving for children under eight, as well as a training programme for educators across seven regions.

On women's empowerment, the ministry has trained over 100 women in micro-enterprise development, digital literacy, and skills development.

"We have made significant strides to empower women, safeguard our children, and advance gender equality, as well as strengthen the social and economic fabric of our nation. Our guiding mission remains clear. That is to capacitate the women micro-entrepreneurs, to nurture digital skills, especially for the women and men in entrepreneurship, to promote climate-smart farming, and to build a strong protective system for our children."

She added that the ministry will continue scaling up entrepreneurship training, climate-smart agriculture, digital literacy, and child protection initiatives to ensure no Namibian is left behind.