The SNP WFD Programme partnered with Oxfam, the Parliamentary Women’s Caucus, and the Centre for Civil Society Strengthening to host the annual Malawi Parliamentary Women’s Retreat in Mangochi. The Retreat helped women MPs with technical capacity-building in leadership, promoting gender responsiveness, and preparing for the 2025 elections. Anne McLaughlin, the SNP MP for Glasgow East, showed her support by visiting Malawi to participate in the Retreat for the second time. In attendance were 41 women parliamentarians, including the Speaker of Malawian Parliament, Honourable Catherine Gotani Hara, and the Minister of Gender, Children, Social Welfare, and Disability, Honourable Patricia Annie Kaliati.

Training sessions featured presentations, panel discussions, peer mentorship, and focus groups centring the experiences of women parliamentarians in the 2019-2025 cohort. Attendees discussed how to overcome the common challenges of not having female role models in leadership positions and lacking network opportunities, resources, and institutionalized gender-based policies.

The ongoing 50/50 campaign for equal representation has been successful in increasing female representation in Malawian Parliament but remains short of targets. Taking inspiration from Scotland’s record in women’s social, economic, and political roles, the SNP WFD has continued to support women’s political leadership.