The Federal Government should close the gender gaps between men and women to create more sustainable and inclusive economies and societies, the Nigerian Association of Chamber of Commerce, industry, Mines and Agriculture (Business Women Group), has said.
NAWORG also called on political parties, aspirants and candidates for the 2023 presidential election to include women in decision making to fortify the 35 per cent affirmative action.
The National President of NAWORG, Hajiya Aisha Abubakar, stated these in her speech delivered in Lagos during a workshop titled: ‘The position and responsibility of women in the chamber movement’ and induction of its executives and state coordinators obtained by journalists in Abuja on Friday.
Abubakar said, “Gender equality remains a major issue despite its relevance, both as a human right and and as a catalyst for economic growth. This is why closing the gender gap is a central part of any strategy to create more sustainable and inclusive economies and societies.
“Recent efforts have led to important gains in women’s education and employment outcomes in Nigeria. However, women still reman severely under-represented in key, growth enhancing fields of education, business and government.
“First and foremost, we have to go on advocacy campaign for the Gender Equality Bill for it to be passed and we have to do for the individual for the domestication because it is one thing to pass the Bill, it is another thing to domesticate the Bill for the policy and it is a work in process.
“So we have to start at the national level and then we go to the sub national and then we go on, we are going to work at it.”
According to her, women should be taken along in the formulation of national policies and decisions which impact on them and the citizenry.
She continued, “We are demanding for us to be put at the table when the decisions are being made; for us to be put at the table when policies are being made, especially the ones that affects children and women; and for us to be put at the table when decisions about the economy is being made because we are part of the economy.
“We are also part of everything that is going on, so we just need to be there whether it is fiscal, monetary, whether it is security issues, education or health, whatever it is, we need to be there to put our voices.
“We understand, we are the ones who carry the burden and backlash of all of these. So we should be there to guide and to say what the situation is.”
Abubakar also called on government “to ensure that all our monetary and fiscal policies and everything align to sustain the value of the Naira. So, we just have to sure that our policies align to create that stability that we need in our country.”
