The Ibadan Electricity Distribution Company (IBEDC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) have advocated a total end to gender inequality and discrimination against women in leadership and the workplace.
The advocacy came at the 2022 Disco for Women Conference, held in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, on Tuesday, capturing over 250 women participants across the 20 local government areas of the state.
The conference, with the theme: ‘Breaking the Glass Ceiling: Optimising Career Opportunities’, focused on increasing women’s representation and participation in leadership roles in various professions and reducing gender gaps across every aspect of society.
Angela Olanrewaju, the Head of Branding and Corporate Communication for IBEDC explained that the programme was aimed at creating opportunities for women who have broken the barriers in their careers to helping younger women find their way, especially in male-dominated professions.
Olanrenwaju added that IBEDC deemed it fit to join other voices in raising the flag against inequality against ladies and women in different organisations and other sections of society.
She disclosed: “In 2015 USAID/IBEDC signed an MOU on engendering utility programs. The USAID-Engendering Utilities Programme provides a strong platform to infuse the needed diversity required to recruit, train and empower more women into the IBEDC workforce, which will ultimately impact our bottom line and stakeholder value.”
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While insisting that women needed to be encouraged and empowered to give the best in their chosen careers.
She said: “IBEDC is committed to creating a diverse environment and ensuring equal opportunities, fairness of treatment, dignity, work-life balance and eliminating all forms of discrimination in the workplace for all staff and job applicants”.
The keynote speaker, Chief (Mrs) Alaba Lawson, described the ‘glass ceiling’ as a barrier preventing Nigerian women from reaching a higher level of professional and leadership success.
She lamented that women, despite the great potential abounding in them are always relegated and marginalised in their different professions.
The implication of this, the Iyalode said has hurt several organisations, businesses and the country’s growth and development.
“The glass ceiling hurts businesses, Organisations, and all of the society by limiting diversity. It creates a lack of representation for women and other minorities in leadership or decision-making and executive position.”
She told the participants to strengthen their network of co-workers and engage in bias and stereotype training.
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IBEDC, USAID seek end to discrimination, gender inequality against women in leadership, employment