Women, especially at the grassroots level, have been challenged to make use of the environment put in place by government to provide equal opportunities to women as their male counterparts, by taking up leadership positions.This was said during a workshop on women leadership needs, which was organised by the Ministry of Gender and family Promotion together with Rwanda Women Network (RWN). The meeting, in Kigali, brought together officials from different organisations that deal, on a day-today basis, with women issues in different parts of the country.According to Mary Balikungeri, the director of RWN, the workshop aimed at encouraging these organisations to urge women they work with to take up leadership positions in the public and private sectors, as well as enhance their ability in institutions of governance to influence policy on issues that particularly affect women.Political will The Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, Henriette Umulisa, said the capacity building programme is designed to complement other efforts to uplift the status of Rwandan women."There is political will and a conducive environment to set the ball rolling. Let us transform our society by involving women in leadership,” Umulisa said.Despite the evident positive changes in women transformation, it was noted that there are a number of challenges that hinder their progress.