Josephine Ojiambo, Deputy secretary-general of the Commonwealth, an intergovernmental organization of 53 member states that were formerly colonized by Britain, said she was impressed that President Edgar Lungu’s administration had shown leadership in addressing the plight of girls and ending child marriages.
She said while other leaders in Africa were concentrating on discussing peace and security on the continent, Lungu’s administration has shown commitment to engage on the plight of girls.
“I have had several conversations with Heads of States, but the most engaging was the one with President Lungu, I was honored to have President Lungu not too long ago and why, because many Heads of States will begin with a statement like peace and security, about the defense and strength of economics and agriculture,” she said during a ceremony held at the Zambian embassy in Britain, according to a statement.
She added that the Zambian leader’s engagement centered on the plight of rural girls in the southern African nation and the challenges they face.
Zambia had been a champion on preventing and eliminating early child and forced marriages and in 2015 the country hosted the First African Girls’ summit on Ending Child Marriages in Africa.
Zambia has one of the highest child marriage rates in the world with 42 percent of women aged 20-24 years married by the age of 18 while teen pregnancies for school going children are rampant. Enditem
Source: Xinhua/NewsGhana.com.gh
