Organisers of the State of the Woman Address have apologised after repeated venue changes and programme disruptions overshadowed an event attended by delegates from across Africa, including Malawi’s Second Lady, Tadala Chihana.
The event, organised by Women in Leadership International, was intended to celebrate and empower women holding influential positions in business, government and community development.
However, some participants expressed frustration after the venue was reportedly changed three times and parts of the programme did not proceed as planned.
Delegates were reportedly charged between US$100 and US$250 to attend. Some participants said the experience did not meet their expectations, particularly given the travel and participation costs involved.
Virginia Sifuwe, a community worker who travelled by air from South Africa’s North West province, was among the international delegates who attended.
She confirmed that the organisers covered her accommodation at Rainbow Towers, although she expressed disappointment with aspects of the event.
In an interview with Hurumende News Hub, Women in Leadership International public relations and communications specialist Anunufo Katakodibote acknowledged that the event had experienced problems.
“Today we obviously faced some problems and some situations, and we would like to apologise to every single woman who was disappointed and who did not receive what they thought they needed to receive,” Katakodibote said.
She urged participants not to lose confidence in the organisation, saying it was still developing and learning from the experience.
The organisers had initially planned to recognise 100 women but ultimately presented 50 awards. Katakodibote said some nominees had declined their nominations, while others could not travel to Zimbabwe.
She explained that the awards were specifically tailored to recognise each recipient’s work instead of placing all honourees into broad categories.
“The focus was not the big number. The focus was the intentionality and the communication between us and the nominees themselves,” she said.
Katakodibote said representatives from several African countries—including South Africa, Botswana, Namibia and Liberia—participated in the programme. Delegates from Kenya also attended.
Despite the organisational challenges, the event featured influential women, panel discussions and keynote presentations. Chihana travelled from Malawi to address and encourage participants.
Women in Leadership International said its broader mission was to encourage women to pursue leadership roles without fear. The organisation is also developing leadership courses and plans to adopt schools in Zimbabwe and other African countries to begin teaching leadership skills to girls at primary-school level.
Katakodibote said future editions of the programme could be held in Kenya, Tanzania or Botswana as the organisation seeks to expand beyond Zimbabwe.
The organisers will, however, face pressure to improve planning, communication and programme delivery if they are to rebuild the confidence of delegates who invested substantial amounts of money and travelled long distances to participate.
