There was commotion in the parking lot of the Central Provincial Government office in Konedobu yesterday, after women leaders from the province turned up to question the provincial government about the ‘promised funds’.
Following the passing of the 2022 milestone K365 million budget, the women expressed their distaste at why their allocated funds of K256,000 for this year was not given to them as allocated and why the Central Province Council Women representative did not raise this during the budget presentation.
Central Province Women in Agriculture President, Freda Magini, said they are still waiting for the allocated funding and the new budget has been passed.
“The Women in Agriculture is an affiliate of the Central Province Council of Women. We are voiced through the council of women. We were congratulated when the provincial government passed the 2021 budget for the women in agriculture. We have brought to her attention that we were not paid the monies and it is almost Christmas,” Mrs Magini said.
“So where are the women in the picture? Who are the voices for the women? If our woman rep cannot voice it on the floor, we are voicing it right here in the carpark, we want to know. Where is our budget, we’ve been told there is no money. They ae contributing to this province and yet we turn a blind eye on them.”
The women have queried why there was not any allocation for Women in Agriculture, which will benefits the farmers, SMEs and the labour mobility. She stated that they have been told all year that there is no money.
“We want the Governor to come out and tell us where the money is and why the budget allocation was scrapped. We want to know because we want to implement the labour mobility, garment and textile industry and the one crop policy, which a submission was presented but never paid,” she said.
Mrs Magini said they are calling on the Central Provincial Government to give them the money they were promised and with the recent the 10 per cent GST remittance from NCDC to increase their funding so they can do more.
“K256, 000 is not enough to serve the women of the province, even the youth that come under the province. We need to have a budget on its own to drive economic development for our women and youth.”