“I want to champion opportunities for women and girls….”

As honourable Gill Lever begins her new role as British Ambassador to Zimbabwe, supporting women and girls is among the priorities she wants to carry into her work.

In her first remarks, UK ambassador to Zimbabwe Lever spoke about her plans to travel across the country, meet people from different communities and listen to their aspirations. She also made clear announcing on social media,that creating opportunities for women and girls matters to her.

“I want to champion opportunities for women and girls,” she said.

It is a brief statement, but one that places gender equality among the issues she hopes to address during her time in Zimbabwe.
For many women and girls, access to opportunities remains closely tied to questions of education, employment, leadership and economic independence.

Ambassador Lever has not yet outlined specific programmes under this commitment, but her remarks offer an indication of an area she wants to prioritise.

The challenge will be turning that intention into practical work that responds to the needs of women and girls in different parts of the country.

Her approach to the ambassadorship also places importance on listening. Ambassador Lever says she wants to travel widely across Zimbabwe and hear directly from people in different communities. Such engagement could provide an opportunity to understand the experiences of women and girls beyond the capital, including those whose concerns may receive less attention in national discussions.

The ambassador arrives with a personal connection to Zimbabwe, having visited the country in the 1990s while working on peacekeeping training with the British Military Advisory and Training Team. She says she is delighted to return and looks forward to learning more about the country.

Her wider vision is to strengthen relations between Britain and Zimbabwe through trade, investment, international cooperation and closer ties between their people.

She describes these personal connections as a living bridge between the two countries, one she hopes to leave stronger by the end of her posting.