LAGOS STATE GOVERNMENT REFUNDS 145 FORMER SUBSCRIBERS OF EGAN HOUSING ESTATE
admin Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) can rise to 229 billion over a decade if women are allowed to fully participate in the workforce at the same level with the men.
A gender consultant at Albright Stone Bridge Group, Mrs. Rinmicit Temlong, stated this yesterday while speaking at the 24th Regular National Council on Women Affairs, with the theme ‘Renewed Hope Agenda: Promoting Women’s Economic Empowerment, Health, Education, and Justice for Global Competitiveness and Relevance’, in Jos, Plateau State.
Mrs. Temlong explained that despite women making up 49.3 per cent of the Nigerian population, they face significant economic barriers such as poverty, land ownership, and digital access. She lamented that only 53 per cent of girls completed their secondary education as against 67 per cent of boys.
She added that the national Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) policy and action plan was a powerful tool for transforming Nigeria’s economy by empowering women.
Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Gabriel Aduda, said the WEE policy, if fully domesticated and implemented, will serve as a game-changer in addressing women’s development issues in Nigeria.
According to Aduda, ‘the policy different because, for the first time, we are embracing a comprehensive, multi-sectoral approach to women’s economic empowerment. It spans sectors like financial inclusion, agriculture, economy, procurement, and social services’.
According to him, empowerment efforts were often isolated, resulting in fragmented initiatives with limited impact, adding that the WEE Policy provides a coordinated framework from the federal level to states, local governments, and even ward levels.
He added: “This coordination will ensure that resources and efforts across all levels align toward the same goals, resulting in better-directed funds, more effective budgeting, and ultimately, a stronger impact on women’s economic empowerment.
“We’re seeing significant progress in some states like Kaduna, Kano, and Lagos, which have been particularly proactive. These states have advanced the policy through their state assemblies, with some bills already awaiting gubernatorial assent. At the federal level, we continue to advocate for domestication in all 36 states and the FCT.”
Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Eden Venture Group, Fifehan Osikanlu, noted that her group is collaborating with the Albright Stonebridge Group to amplify communications around the domestication efforts being carried out nationwide.
“Sharing this information with family, friends, and communities is crucial because civic awareness empowers individuals to understand their rights and engage with the government to uphold them,” she said.
