EDEN domesticates Nigeria’s women economic empowerment policy

Eden Venture Group (EDEN), a women-led social impact agency, has announced its initiative to support the domestication of the Nigeria Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy and action plan.

EDEN is one of the six organisations selected by Albright Stonebridge Group (ASG) to drive integration and implementation of the National WEE Policy in three priority states namely Kano, Kaduna and Lagos, by amplifying the policy through innovative communication and advocacy campaign.

As a member of the WEE Policy Catalyst Fund cohort spearheaded by ASG, EDEN is at the forefront of efforts to amplify the domestication of the WEE policy and action plan nationally and in the three key states, with benefits for women across Nigeria.

Other cohort members leading the domestication and action planning of the WEE policy in the country are Fable/Isa Wali in Kano, Dev-Afrique in Kaduna and the Policy Innovation Center (PIC) of the NESG in Lagos State.

In May 2023, the Buhari administration adopted Nigeria’s first National Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) policy following an 18-month-long development process led by the Federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs and the Ministry of Finance, Budget and National Planning.

The current Administration has also endorsed the WEE Policy, given its significant overlap with the gender equality and social inclusion priorities of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

During its official launch in 2023, former Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Pauline Tallen, disclosed that the policy was birthed to change the narratives on gender inequality by focusing on key sectors where most Nigerian women and girls are employed or likely to pursue livelihoods, such as agriculture, entrepreneurship, emerging industries, the traditional labour market, education, and skills acquisition.

The current Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, had expressed concern that most states were yet to domesticate the policy one year after its launch, and stressed that gender inclusion could not happen without women’s empowerment, hence the need for states to domesticate the policy.

Kennedy-Ohanenye called on governments at all levels to invest in women’s economic growth and development. She expressed this at a recent forum organised by the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs for all the Commissioners of Women Affairs in May 2024 in Abuja.

EDEN said in a statement that it “is proud to lead this call and work to support the amplification of the Federal Government’s domestication efforts at the national level and in the key states of Kano, Kaduna, and Lagos by collaborating with the cohort on the #WEELiftNaija communication campaign strategy and implementation to effectively domesticate the policy.”

EDEN said it was proud to lead “this crucial initiative, amplifying the Federal Government’s domestication efforts at both the national level and in the three key states.

“Through strategic collaboration with the Wee Policy Catalyst Fund cohort on the #WEELiftNaija communication campaign, we are driving the implementation forward to effectively domesticate this important policy.”

The WEE policy document is a comprehensive roadmap outlining measures to promote women’s economic empowerment. It covers a wide range of areas, from improving access to finance to addressing gender-based discrimination and bias in the workplace, thereby ensuring a holistic approach to gender equality in the economic sphere.

Further to the launch, critical stakeholders, including gender advocates who attended a validation workshop organised by the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning in Abuja on WEE indicators, action plan and monitoring and evaluation framework, asserted that the National WEE policy document could chart a path for transitioning women from having limited economic power, voice and choice to skills acquisition opportunities.

They also emphasized that empowering women economically through the WEE Policy would improve individual lives of both men and women, drive sustainable development, strengthen economic growth, and support families such that communities thrive, thereby painting a hopeful picture of the policy’s potential impact.