Federal and state governments should increase investment, open more access, break barriers, and introduce concrete and trackable policies that will enhance the lives of women across the country.
This call was made by over 100 women groups from the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory during the 2021 three-day leadership training held in Abuja between Monday abd Wednesday.
The flagship training of the Federal Ministry of Youths and Sports, held at the Citizenship Training and Learning Centre, Abuja, was organized by the National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) with collaboration of the Partnership for Advancing Women in Economic Development (PAWED), a project of the Development Research and Projects Centre (dRPC).
In her opening speech, President of NCWS, Dr Gloria Laraba Shoda, said only than two percent of women are in the formal sector even though there are over 45 million women working in the informal sector, and they constitute 49 percent of the country’s population.
“I think it is evident from the statistic available that although Nigerian women are hardworking and constitute almost 50% of the population and have proven to be reliable, capable and innovative, the atmosphere for conducive growth and opportunities to be at the board rooms, executive councils and positions of authority have not been provided ‘’ she said
She then challenged the women to continue to advocate and engage to ensure they are recognized and are given the desired position they deserve in all facet of national development.
Earlier, head of the learning centre, Dr Alero Abokwara Adjekota, thanked the partnership with the NCWS and PAWED, which she said has given the annual training a unique opportunity to widen the scope by looking at not only the etiquettes, protocols and qualities of leadership, but exploring how women can advocate for economic opportunities to enhance their contribution to national development.
Panellists at the event, comprising of officials from the Small and Medium Enterprises Agency, (SMEDAN), Cooperative Financing Association of Nigeria (CFAN), NACCIMA Women Group (NAWORG), Women in Management, Business, and Public Sector (WIMBIZ), and the National Association of Women in Business (NAWE), all agreed that for Nigeria to really attain her potentials as the leader of the black nations, it is imperative for governments at all levels to recognize and deliberately introduce policies that will empower, create opportunities and open access to women in the areas of economy, leadership and sports.
The guest speaker, Professor Fatai Aremu, a directing staff of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (NIPSS), explained how women groups should advocate to demand for policy implementation at the national and state levels.
The three-day training ended on Wednesday with physical exercises, competitions, and motivational speeches to spur the women to take up the message of hope for the Nigerian women to their various destinations.
