President Bola Tinubu has called for more programmes to guarantee women’s empowerment in Nigeria.
He made this call on Tuesday at a fundraising dinner organised by the federal ministry of women affairs in Abuja.
The president, who was represented by George Akume, secretary to the government of the federation (SGF), said the programme tagged ‘Empower-Her: Nigeria for women farming, health, empowerment, justice, and entertainment’ marked a substantial landmark in his administration’s journey toward gender equality and sustainable growth.
Tinubu added that empowering women is crucial for national progress and called for synergy between the government and private sectors to support enterprises that benefit communities.
“In our quest for justice and sustainability, we must ensure women have access to justice and protection from all forms of violence and discrimination, which requires strengthening our institutions, promoting gender-sensitive policies, and supporting women’s rural organisations,” he said.
“It is in view of this that this Empower-Her initiative solidly deepens the vision we have for our country.
“We must empower women not just for their sake but for the sake of our entire nation. When we have empowered families, communities are viable.
“I call on us both in government and private sector to join hands and support and promote Empower-Her initiative, which has created an enabling environment for every woman in Nigeria to fulfill her potential and contribute meaningfully to society.”
A billionaire businessman, Arthur Eze, made a donation of N100 million to support the initiative.
Whilst, Tony Elumelu, chairman of the United Bank for Africa (UBA), said that women play an essential role in agriculture, contributing over 70 percent of the labour force, but face challenges in accessing resources.
Elumelu, represented by Oliver Alawuba, UBA’s chief executive officer (CEO), said the bank has provided 78 percent of its working capital loans to women-led businesses to create a solution.
He added that similar initiatives would be economically beneficial, sampling the potential $12 trillion increase in global GDP by 2025 if the gender gap is closed.