By Bonakele Mabuza
MBABANE – The Deputy Prime Minister’s Office (DPMO), in partnership with the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) Secretariat, has initiated a crucial three-day meeting aimed at availing data on gender in Eswatini.
The gathering, held at the Happy Valley Hotel in Ezulwini, brings together key stakeholders to discuss strategies for improving data collection, analysis, and utilisation for informed policymaking.
According to Nomzamo Dlamini, the Deputy Prime Minister’s office’s Gender and Family Issues Focal Person, gender statistics is indispensable for understanding the realities faced by women, men, boys, and girls in the country. The significance of this data is underscored by the fact that there are 54 gender-specific indicators within the United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Despite this, Eswatini currently grapples with uneven coverage of indicators and data gaps, hindering effective policy implementation.
The country, according to Dlamini, is also in the process of reporting on the Beijing Commitment, but challenges persist in terms of data quality and comparability across different sources. Recognising the complexities involved in collecting and analysing gender data, Dlamini emphasised the need for a concerted effort from all stakeholders to find viable solutions.
Beatrice Hamusonde, Director of Gender and Social Affairs at COMESA, echoed the importance of integrating a gender perspective into data collection and analysis at the national level. The meeting’s objectives encompass a comprehensive overview of gender and gender statistics, exploring effective data collection techniques, analysing data for actionable insights, and ultimately, understanding the policy implications of utilising gender-disaggregated data.
According to information sourced from DPMO’s Facebook page, by addressing the gender data gap, Eswatini aims to enhance its ability to develop and implement policies that promote gender equality and empower women and girls. This crucial step towards data-driven decision-making is expected to have a positive impact on various sectors, including education, health, and economic development.
