HULU LANGAT, Jan 24 — A total of 50 local authority councillors are currently participating in a special edition of the Selangor Women’s Leadership Academy (AKW) as part of efforts to strengthen women’s leadership at the local government level.
State executive councillor for women development Anfaal Saari said the AKW Special Edition for Councillors aims to boost leadership skills and produce highly competent women leaders who are ready to fill strategic positions in Selangor within the next five to 10 years.
She said the 50 participants, comprising representatives from 12 Selangor local authorities as well as several from outside the state, are involved in the programme through three workshop series conducted over two months, covering leadership training, interactive discussions and sharing sessions with governance figures and experts.
“The first workshop series emphasises communication skills, leadership presence and understanding the functions of councillors, followed by the second series which focuses on gender understanding and the implementation of gender-responsive budgeting.
“The third series, meanwhile, concentrates on local government administration to strengthen participants’ understanding of effective administrative structures and mechanisms.
“Emphasis is also placed on developing strategic leadership capacity, gender-responsive governance, policy-making processes and the role of councillors in planning inclusive and sustainable community development,” she said after the launch of the AKW Special Edition for Councillors here today.
She added that since its introduction in 2020, a total of 345 graduates have been produced through four cohorts of the programme.
Meanwhile, Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) Zone 5 councillor Nooraimi Hani Ahmad Suhaimi said the programme is believed to add value to the leadership of women councillors while helping to improve the quality of local authority service delivery to the public.
“I am an alumnus of the first AKW cohort. It taught us many new things, especially in terms of personal leadership skills such as speaking style and interaction, which help us when dealing with the public,” she said.
For Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) Zone 14 councillor Yogeswari Samynathan, her participation in the special edition is expected to enhance leadership capacity and strengthen her role in addressing the needs of the local community.
“Participation in this programme provides opportunities to gain knowledge, share experiences and gain deeper understanding of governance and policy-making at the local government level.
“This programme not only strengthens leadership skills but also helps women councillors increase confidence and efficiency in carrying out their duties, particularly in handling community issues and local development,” she said.
Selangor has implemented the AKW since 2020 as a ‘talent pipeline’ to produce more women leaders in politics and social work.
The four main learning modules are soft and organisational skills, gender understanding, political and economic leadership, and communication skills.
