South West stakeholders demand specific budgetary funding for women’s economic empowerment

Women leaders have tasked the government of South-West states to ensure there is a specific funding line in their yearly budgets targeting women’s economic empowerment.

The women made this call at a one-day policy dialogue on Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) intervention and programming in the South-West states of Oyo, Ondo and Lagos, held in Ibadan, on Thursday.

Rather than the usual lump empowerment budget sums, they said such sums should be disaggregated to ascertain how women will benefit.

In various remarks at the event, the women stressed the need for Ministries, Departments and Agencies to prioritise women’s economic empowerment as part of their policy priority.

Furthermore, they called on state governments to ensure adequate and timely releases of funds for women’s economic empowerment to improve their socio-economic wellbeing and effectively contribute to the economy of their States.

The event organised by the Partnership for Advancing Women in Economic Development (PAWED) Nigeria had women representatives of government and non-governmental agencies across three South-West states in attendance.

In her remarks, Ondo Commissioner for Women Affairs, Dr Adebunmi Osadahun held that women must be the target of development efforts if the nation is to be regarded as a developed nation.

Osadahun said: “If Nigeria will ever be described as a developed community, women cannot be living in poverty, be jobless, facing health issues. Women should be the target of development. “Even in a home, the wife is responsible to the husband and to the children. So developing an average woman is like developing the whole family. So it is imperative that women should be developed so that Nigeria will ever be referred to as a developed state.”

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Speaking for the Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, Mrs Titi Asabia said women need to be enlightened to grab empowerment opportunities and leadership positions that come their way.

She said the DAWN Commission played its role in bringing together women, and mentoring them to prepare them for leadership positions.

Speaking, National Vice Chairperson, NACCIMA Business Women Group, Mrs Funmilayo Ade-Ojo prayed government to continue to provide opportunities for women to participate in commerce and governance.

She also advocated public/private partnerships for women’s empowerment opportunities.

Giving her own remarks, Oyo State Coordinator for the Association of Women in Trade and Agriculture, Mrs Abiola Njoku said the challenges women face in being empowered economically will be abated if they enjoy the ease of doing business.

She added that adequate and timely release of funds for women empowerment will go a long way in improving their socioeconomic wellbeing and ability to contribute effectively to the economy of their States.

Njoku also emphasised that Ministries, Departments and Agencies should emphasise women’s empowerment in their policy priorities.